Category Archives: Recipes

Oven Baked Pork Chops

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  • 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 tbsp ketchup (Note 1)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce (Note 2)
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar (or white)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil (or vegetable or canola oil)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (Note 3)
Chops
  • 4 pork chops / cutlets , around 200g/7oz each including bone (Note 4)
  • 800g/ 1.6 lb baby potatoes , larger ones cut in half (Note 5)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 200C / 390F (fan forced / convection) or 220C / 430F (standard oven).
  2. Toss potatoes in oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Scatter on baking tray.
  3. Place in oven for 15 minutes (giving them a head start).
Pork
  1. Meanwhile, mix the Rub ingredients together in a small bowl.
  2. Slather the pork on both sides with the Rub, reserving some Rub for basting. (See notes for marinating)
  3. Take the tray out of the oven. Place pork on the tray.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove tray from oven, spoon over reserved rub on the surface then bake for a further 10 minutes (or 15 minutes for large chops ~ 350g/12oz) (Note 4).
  5. Take tray out of the oven, flick to grill/broiler on high.
  6. Use a brush to get the golden juices off the tray (especially around pork) and dab it onto the pork – this is key for flavour and colour!
  7. Pop pork under grill/broiler for a few minutes until pork is caramelised and golden.
  8. Serve, scraping the juices on the tray onto the pork, then garnish with parsley if desired. Pictured with this Broccoli Salad.
Notes

1. If you are in Australia or the UK, you can use Tomato Sauce (American readers – don’t use what you know as Tomato Sauce, use Ketchup!).

2. I use normal soy sauce (Kikkoman). This can be substituted with 2 1/2 tsp light soy sauce. I don’t recommend dark soy sauce – flavour is too strong.

3. Can be substituted with white wine or sherry vinegar.

4. This can be made with any pork chops. I use what we call Pork Cutlets here in Australia. Bone in is better because it’s juicier. Cook time will differ depending on size of cutlets – my cook time is based on 200g/7oz pork chops with bone in. For 350g/12oz, bake for a total of 25 minutes (i.e. 10 minutes + 15 minutes + grill/broil)

You could also use chicken – bake for same time for 180g/6oz boneless thigh fillets and for 200g/7oz breast. I would recommend marinating breast.

5. Make sure the potatoes are no larger than 3cm / 1 1/4″ diameter otherwise they won’t cook in the prescribed time. You can either increase the initial bake time OR cut the larger ones which is what I did.

6. If marinating, place in a ziplock bag, add the pork and massage from the outside to coat the pork in the Rub. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours. If freezing, put the bag straight in the freezer, then defrost before using. It will marinate while defrosting.

** Recipe updated to make broiling/grilling at end part of the recipe rather than optional! Caramelising the glaze really adds that final touch!**

Donairs

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  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground oregano
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 4 teaspoons white vinegar, or as needed

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a cup or small bowl, mix together the salt, oregano, flour, black pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.
  2. Place the ground beef in a large bowl, and use your hands to blend in the spice mixture. If you want the smooth texture of meat that you see in a real donair shop, you must do this in a steel mixing bowl and on a sturdy surface. Pick up the meat, and throw it down with force about 20 times, kneading it after each throw. This also helps the meat hold together better when you slice it.
  3. Form the meat into a loaf, and place it on a broiler pan. If you do not have one, a baking sheet will do.
  4. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, turning the loaf over about half way through. This will ensure even cooking. Serve, or allow the meat to chill before slicing and reheating.
  5. To make the donair sauce, mix together the evaporated milk, sugar and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the white vinegar, adding 1 teaspoon at a time, until thickened to your desired consistency.

Pickled Cauliflower

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  • 1 tsp. coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp. black or brown mustard seeds (or substitute yellow)
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
  • 2 cups cider vinegar
  • 5 medium cloves garlic, lightly crushed and peeled
  • Three 1/4-inch-thick slices peeled fresh ginger
  • One-half small yellow onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 Tbs. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. black peppercorns
  • 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • One-half head cauliflower, cut into 1-1/2- to 2-inch florets (about 4 cups)
  • 5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal (about 2 cups)
  • One-half red bell pepper, cut into large dice (about 1 cup)

Preparation

  • Put the coriander, mustard, and cumin seeds in a small saucepan. Toast the spices over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until fragrant and slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar, garlic, ginger, onion, sugar, salt, peppercorns, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and 1 cup water to the toasted spices. Bring to a boil.

For quick (refrigerator) pickles:

  • Pack the cauliflower, carrots, and bell pepper in a 2-qt. heat-resistant glass bowl or measuring cup. Pour the hot brine over the vegetables. Let cool to room temperature and then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 14 days.

For canned pickles:

  • Pack the vegetables into clean, hot pint jars. Pour the hot brine over the vegetables, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles by slowly raising and lowering a chopstick or a plastic blade around the inside of the jars (a trapped air bubble may shatter a jar as it heats). If you have extra brine, strain it and distribute the solids among the jars. Wipe the jars’ lids with a damp cloth before putting on the lids. Secure the lids with screw bands tightened by hand.  Process for 10 minutes, following the instructions in our “Canning Basics” guide. Store the pickles for at least 2 but preferably 7 days (or longer) before opening. Refrigerate after opening.

Roasted Jarred Artichokes

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Drizzle drained marinated artichoke hearts with a few tablespoons of olive oil, pour them onto a sheet pan, slide them into a 450 oven for about 18 minutes, tossing halfway through, until they’re browned around the edges

Instant Pot Curried Coconut Lentils

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  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger paste
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 cup dried red split lentils
  • 1 13.5- ounce can unsweetened full fat coconut milk
  • 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups water
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 14.5- ounce can crushed tomatoes

  1. Press sauté on the front of your 6-quart Instant Pot. In the insert, add the onion, garlic, ginger paste, curry powder, crushed red pepper flakes, lentils, coconut milk, water, salt, and pepper. Stir to mix then let it come up to a simmer then press cancel. Immediately add the can of crushed tomatoes LAST and on top of everything else and do not stir it in. Pressure cookers seem to not like tomatoes for some reason and you will often times get a BURN notice. If you don’t stir the tomatoes in and just let it sit on top, you should be fine.

  2. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and make sure that the vent is set to sealing.

  3. Using the manual function, use high pressure and set the cook time to 15 minutes.

  4. Once the soup has finished cooking, let sit for 15 minutes before you quick release the pressure. You can choose to either quick release it or let it naturally release, depending on how hungry you are or when dinner is!

  5. Divide evenly into bowls and garnish with parsley or cilantro on top.

RECIPE NOTES

Many have mentioned that they get the BURN notice with lentils in pressure cookers. By bringing the mixture up to a simmer, in step 1, prior to closing the lid helps the pressure cooker heat up so it doesn’t have to do as much “heat up work” during the “come to pressure” process. So helping it out before throwing the lid on should help with the burn message.

After about 15 minutes, my lentils were more on the ‘mushy’ side. If you don’t like your lentils like that, I would reduce the cook time to 12 minutes.

Spiced Crabapples (Liz)

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4-1/2 cups (1125 ml) granulated sugar
3 cups (750 ml) water
2 1/2 cups (625 ml) white vinegar
4″ (10 cm) cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp (15 ml) each: whole allspice and whole cloves
8 cups (2 L) stemmed crab apples, pricked with a fork
about 3 lb (1.4 kg) or forty 1-1/2-inch (3.8 cm) crabapples

Place 6 clean 500 ml mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Heat SNAP LID® sealing discs in hot water, not boiling (180°F/82°C). Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.

• Combine sugar, water and vinegar in a large stainless steel saucepan. Tie cinnamon, allspice and cloves into a large square of cheesecloth, creating a spice bag; place in saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil; boil 10 minutes.

• Wash and stem crab apples; drain but do not peel. To avoid bursting fruit, prick each crab apple with a fork. Add crab apples to boiling mixture and return to a boil. Stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, boil gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until crab apples are tender. Do not overcook. Discard spice bag and remove saucepan from heat.

• Pack hot crab apples into a hot jar to within 3/4 inch (2 cm) of top rim. Add hot liquid to cover crab apples to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top of jar (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more crab apples and hot liquid. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining crab apples and hot liquid.

• When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process –boil filled jars – 20 minutes.

• When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.

• After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.

 

Fermenting Brown Rice

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  • Wash the brown rice in water. Remove the floating husks by decanting the water. Drain the rice in a colander.
  • Transfer the rice to a large pot. Fill it with dechlorinated water until the water level rises 1 or 2 inches above the rice.
  • Cover the pot and leave it to stand for 24 hours.
  • Decant 10 percent of the soaking water into a glass container. Close the lid on the container and store it in a fridge.
  • Drain the fermented rice in a colander. Add fresh water and cook.

Things You’ll Need

  • 2 cups of brown rice
  • Dechlorinated water (leave water out on counter overnight with no lid to dechlorinate)