Category Archives: Recipes

Pork Chops with Plums, Halloumi and Lemon

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  • 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • 4 bone-in pork rib chops (about 1″ thick), patted dry
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
  • 4 ripe medium red or black plums (about 1 lb.), halved
  • 1 lemon, halved, seeds removed
  • 8oz. Halloumi cheese, sliced into ½”-thick planks
  • 2 Tbsp. oregano leaves

Step 1

Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; oil grate. Combine honey and 2 Tbsp. oil in a large resealable plastic bag. Season pork chops generously with salt and pepper and add to bag. Seal, pressing out air, and massage chops to coat.

Step 2

Place plums, lemon, and Halloumi on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 2 Tbsp. oil; toss to coat. Season plums and lemon with salt, then season everything with pepper.

Step 3

Grill pork over medium-high, turning occasionally with tongs and moving around if needed to prevent flare-ups, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center (about ½” from the bone) registers 130°, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.

Step 4

Meanwhile, grill plums, lemon (cut side down), and Halloumi, turning plums and cheese once or twice, until grill marks appear and plums start to release their juices, about 4 minutes. Transfer plums, lemon, and Halloumi to cutting board with pork and let cool 1 minute. Slice each plum half into 3 wedges and tear Halloumi into 1″ pieces.

Step 5

Cut pork away from bone and slice ½” thick. Arrange meat on plates; discard bones. Spoon plums and Halloumi around and on top of meat, dividing evenly. Squeeze juice from grilled lemon over; season with more salt and pepper. Top with oregano, sprinkle with some Aleppo-style pepper, and drizzle with a little oil.

Lamb, Potato and Barley Stew

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Add the oil to a large pan set over a medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped lamb and cook for about 5 minutes, or until well coloured.

Add the carrots and onions to the pan and leave to sweat for a few minutes.

Once the onions and carrots have softened, add the tomato purée and continue to cook for a few minutes more.

Add the lamb stock and the pearl barley to the pan and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and cook gently for about 20 minutes, then add the chunks of potato.

Bring back to the boil and cook slowly until the lamb is tender and the potatoes are starting to break down and thicken the sauce. Serve immediately.

Honey Mustard Chicken with Apples

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  • 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, cut into large chunks
  • 2 cooking apples (such as Cortland), cut into chunks
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons honey mustard
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. 
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until golden, about 6 minutes. Flip and cook 2 to 3 more minutes, then transfer to a plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings. 
  3. Add the onion and apples to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Mix the broth with the mustard, then add to the skillet and bring to a boil. Arrange the chicken, skin-side up, in the skillet. Transfer to the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. 
  4. Mix the butter and flour to form a paste. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken, apples and onion to plates. Bring the pan juices to a simmer, whisk in about half of the butter-flour mixture and boil to thicken, 2 minutes. Continue to cook, adding more of the butter-flour mixture as needed to make a slightly thick gravy. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken and sprinkle with parsley.

Lemon Honey Garlic Chicken

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  • 5 bone in , skin on chicken thighs (2 lbs | 1 kg)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (or juice of 1 lemon)
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic
  • 6 whole garlic cloves , peeled
  • Lemon slices and zest to garnish
  • Sliced green onions , to garnish

Preheat oven to 360°F. Place chicken thighs in a large shallow dish and season with salt; set aside. In a large mixing jug, whisk together the honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, vinegar and minced garlic. Pour about 1/4 cup of the sauce over the chicken (or just enough to lightly coat each thigh) and rotate each thigh to coat evenly in the sauce. Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium high heat; sear the chicken skin side down first until golden for about 5 minutes. Turn and repeat on the other side. Drain most of the excess oil from the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon for added flavour. Arrange chicken skin-side up in the pan; add the whole garlic cloves between the chicken; pour half of the remaining sauce over each thigh (about 1-2 tablespoons per thigh) and bake for 40-45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. The skin should be crispy and sticky. While the chicken is baking, pour the remaining sauce into a small pot (or saucepan), and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat down to low and allow to simmer while occasionally stirring; lifting the pot off of the heat when the sauce bubbles up to the rim of your pot, and repeat the process until the sauce has sightly reduced and thickened (about 6 minutes).

Air Fryer Arancini

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  • 1.5 cups panko
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • risotto

In a small bowl, place the bread crumbs. In another bowl, place the beaten eggs.

Remove chilled risotto from the fridge. Roll into 1 inch rice balls.

Dip into eggs then into bread crumbs to coat the entire ball. Do this until you run out of ingredients.

Place rolled and coated balls back into the fridge for 45 minutes.

Remove from fridge and place into Air Fryer in small batches.

Cook at 400 degrees F for a cooking time of 10 minutes. Shake at minute 8. The balls are actually done around minute 6-7 but the browning doesn’t happen until minute 8-10.

Pork with Grapes

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  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes, and salted 24 hours in advance
  • 1 garlic clove, smashed
  • 1 cup dry red wine (such as Aglianico del Vulture)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups pork stock or water
  • 1 bunch of red grapes, halved and seeded

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the pork, working in batches as needed, and cook, turning, until it is browned on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the pork and set aside on a plate.

Reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic and cook until just golden, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, increase the heat to medium, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the alcohol aroma dissipates and the liquid has nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes, add the bay leaves.

Return the pork to the pan. Add enough stock so the mat is mostly submerged and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hour more, until the pork is fork-tender. Add the grapes at the 1 1/4 hour mark and continue cooking until they are tender. If the sauce becomes too dry, add a bit more stock (you may not need all the stock). Serve immediately.

Thai Chicken Wings

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  • 1 1/2 kg (3 pounds) chicken wings/nibbles (tip removed, drumettes and flats separated)
  • 1/2 – 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes (adjust to your taste)

Glaze:

  • 3/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
  • 4 tablespoons coconut sugar, or brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (or white vinegar)
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons sesame (or peanut) oil
  • Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly spray a large baking tray with cooking oil spray; set aside.
  • To prepare the glaze, combine all of the glaze ingredients in a small bowl or jug; whisk until combined. Pour half of the sauce into a small saucepan and reserve for later.
  • Trim any excess skin off of the wing edges. Season with salt to taste. Place the wings on the prepared baking tray; pour the sauce over the wings and toss to coat evenly. Arrange the wings in a single layer and bake for 10-15 minutes.
  • While the wings are in the oven, bring the remaining glaze to a simmer on low-medium heat, until the sauce bubbles up and begins to thicken (it should take about 5 minutes).
  • Once the chicken wings are cooked on the one side, rotate each piece and bake again for an extra 10 minutes. Change oven settings to grill (or broil) on a medium-high heat setting; baste wings with half of the ready-made glaze and allow to crisp up for a further 5 minutes. They will look golden and shiny from the glaze.
  • Once the wings are golden, remove them from the oven and baste again with glaze. Garnish with the cilantro, onion slices, chilli flakes and sprinkle with salt (if needed). Serve with any remaining glaze for dipping!

Cheesy Cauliflower Sauce

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  • 2 cups water
  • 2 heaping cups small cauliflower florets
  • 1 teaspoon granulated onion powder
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon mellow white miso or soy-free chickpea miso or a little salt
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
  1. Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the cauliflower, onion powder, garlic, paprika, mustard, and turmeric. Cover tightly and reduce the heat to very low. Simmer until the cauliflower is so tender that it easily comes apart when poked with a fork, about 15-20 minutes.
  2. Carefully transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover and blend, starting on low and increasing the speed until you’re at the highest setting. (Be careful–hot foods can “erupt.”) Blend until you have a completely smooth sauce.
  3. Pour the sauce back into the saucepan, add salt to taste if you like, and heat until it begins to bubble, stirring occasionally. Allow it to cook and thicken for at least another 2 minutes. Serve hot.

Vodka Sauce

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  • 3 cups marinara sauce
  • 1 cup vodka
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper

Simmer marinara sauce and vodka over low heat, stirring often, until the mixture reduces by one fourth, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cream and continue to simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Remove skillet from heat and stir in parmesan, salt and pepper.

Quick Pickled Pearl Onions

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16 white pearl onions (about 1 cup root ends trimmed and scored with X) ½ cup water ½ cup red wine vinegar ½ cup sugar 1 ½ tablespoons mustard seeds ½ teaspoon coriander seeds ½ teaspoon black peppercorns

In a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the pearl onions until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again. Transfer the onions to a glass bowl.

Meanwhile, in another medium saucepan, bring the water and vinegar to a boil with the sugar, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns. Boil until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Pour the liquid over the onions and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Drain before serving.