BIG GIRLS DIET SEA SALT AND ROSEMARY SEARED LAMB GREEN SALAD

Gorgeous warm mixed green salad bursting full of sunshine and flavour with roasted lamb noisette with a rosemary infused sea salt seared crispy skin, wonderfully pink and juicy served with a cool fresh mint and (not strictly paleo !) goats yogurt drizzle and the all important rested lamb juices.

Prep Time 5 minutes / Cooking Time 22 minutes / Resting Time 10 minutes

Rosemary infused sea salt  

Ingredients

(serves 2 generously)

1 lamb noisette (rack off the bone)

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 generous sprigs rosemary

2 tbsp sea salt

2 large handfuls watercress

3 large handfuls spinach

1 large handful rocket

12 mint leaves torn

2 tbsp goats yogurt (optional)

1/2 tsp honey

First infuse the sea salt with half the rosemary in a jar a few hours ahead is great and even more time is better.  Pre heat your oven to 200 degrees, rub the lamb with the coconut oil and then season with the infused sea salt generously, heat a non stick pan hot add the rest of the rosemary and then place the rack of lamb skin side down and sear until a lovely light brown, repeat and sear all sides of the rack, remove from the heat and place on a baking tray and place the rosemary on the lamb, pop in the oven for a strict 18 minutes, not a second more, as soon as your timer goes off take the rack of lamb out of the oven and leave on the side to rest for 5-10  minutes, I struggle to wait until 10 minutes !

Mix the salad leaves together and season, place on your plates.  Mix the yogurt, mint leaves and honey together.  Carve the lamb and place on your salad, drizzle over all the resting juices and the goats yogurt and mint dressing, enjoy.

RASPBERRY VANILLA PANNA COTTA

Silk on a spoon, fabulous for Big Kids and smaller ones too!  Gorgeous soft velvety creamy panna cotta with a burst of fresh raspberry coulis this is a winner pudding for all.

Prep Time 10 minutes / Cooking Time 5 minutes / Fridge Time 1 hr minimum  

Ingredients

(serves 4 or 2 greedy adults)

The Panna Cotta

250ml milk

250ml double cream

1 vanilla pod seeds scraped out

25g sugar

3 gelatin leaves

Raspberry Coulis

400g raspberries

100g raspberries kept for decoration

50g icing sugar

Soak the gelatin leaves in a bowl of cold water, place the milk and cream in a saucepan and add the split and seeds scraped out vanilla pod, bring to a simmer then take off the heat and leave for five minutes to infuse, remove the vanilla pod, then squeeze the water out of the gelatin leaves and add them to the pan, stir until the gelatin has dissolved.

Divide the panna cotta in to your four or two if for greedy grown ups :-) serving bowls and place in the fridge to set, one hour is sufficient however once made these panna cottas can keep in the fridge for up to five days but in my home they don't make it past the first day!

To make the raspberry coulis place the raspberries and icing sugar in a blender and blitz pour into a sieve placed over a large bowl and using the back of a spoon push through all the pulp you can until you are left with raspberry seeds only, discard the seeds and reserve the raspberry coulis for serving in the fridge.

To serve top with the fresh raspberries and a generous drizzle of the raspberry coulis and a spoon !

SWEET STICKY AROMATIC PORK KEBABS

Fabulous to the last bite, everything you want in a mouthful, aromatic marinated seared pork with a drizzle of sweet sticky soy and honey caramelised glaze, then thrown in a un leven flour wrap and loaded with Asian pickled carrots, beetroot relish and a blow your head off habanero salsa, this is one of those wonderful loose yourself in the moment and not so pretty don't watch me eats !

When marinating your meat, 30 minutes will do, but the longer you can leave the meat in the marinade the deeper the flavours infuse, and a more sticky caramelised seal will develop during cooking.  I generally plan a day ahead and leave the pork in the fridge overnight.  For the toppings you can have anything, raw cabbage, onions, carrots, mayonnaise etc, I like to preserve/can some of my late summer veg in sweet and sour Asian infused vinegars and they go great on these kinda of dinners.

Prep time 30 minutes / Marinating time 30 mins - 24hrs / Cooking time 10 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 4)

1kg pork fillet or loin

1 tbsp fresh grated turmeric

or 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

100ml shaoxing wine

30ml light soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp honey

Sea salt

White pepper

In a bowl mix all the ingredients together and add the pork, place in the fridge and leave to marinate.  When ready to cook remove the pork from the marinade, skewer the pork, heat your plancher to a medium hot and place the skewers on to cook, once the pork has sealed after a couple of minutes and not before turn, repeat and turn twice more after a minute or so, the skewers should only take 2-3 minutes each side, so in effect you have turned each side twice, this helps to keep even cooking.  

Take off the plancher pile high on a serving plate and leave to rest for five minutes before taking to the table.  Serve family style on the table with a plate stacked with flat breads and all the sides of salad, shredded carrot, beetroot, spring onions, cabbage, mayonnaise and hot habanero chilli sauce.

MARSCAPONE AMARETTO TIRAMSU

A gorgeous rich decedent sumptuous dessert that only takes a couple of minutes to make and delivers lip smacking gorgeousness.  This dessert can be flavoured with any liquor like kahlua (coffee) or cointreau (orange) but for my husband the marzipan almond flavour from the amaretto goes really well with the amaretti biscotti.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 2 adults)

500g tub marscapone

4 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

75ml amaretto

12 amaretti biscotti biscuits

1 tbsp grated 70% chocolate

This is just a assembly, place the amaretti biscuits on a plate and pour over the amaretto, leave to soak for five minutes, meanwhile place the marscapone in a large bowl and add the icing sugar and vanilla bean paste, whisk to combine.

Now to assemble in your serving bowls place a generous spoonful of the marscapone in your bowl, add a third of the biscuits, repeat twice more finishing off with marscapone, then sprinkle over the grated chocolate and Ta Daa your done, pop in the fridge to chill and enjoy.

HICKORY SWEET SPICY SMOKEY OAK BAKED BBQ BEANS

Sweet Spicy Hickory Smokey with a hint of oak slow baked BBQ beans...

It was one of those moments when I took the first mouthful of these BBQ beans and I was immediately transported back to the old disused gas station parking lot of Nancy's BBQ in Sarasota FL.  It has taken me months to try and re-create the North Carolina flavours of Nancy's smoke house BBQ beans and I think these are darn close from my memory.

  

Prep Time 24 hrs Soaking / Cooking Time 4 hrs

Ingredients

(makes 8 portions)

Slow Braised Baby Back Ribs

2 ribs, skin off

1 ltr coke

1/2 cup bbq spice

1 bag Hickory wood chips or

1 tbsp liquid smoke

400g Black beans soaked for 24hrs

200g smoked sweetcure bacon diced

1 glug olive oil

1 onion finely diced

1/2 green pepper finely diced

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

500ml tomato ketchup

1 cup brown sugar

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Pre heat your oven 200 degrees C or 390 F or wood fired oven, I like to cook my ribs in the wood fired oven for a more authentic hickory smokey flavour, but you can also cook them in the oven with the substitute of liquid smoke.  Place all the rib ingredients in a shallow baking tin and cover with the coke, pop in the oven un covered for the first 45 minutes to infuse the smokey flavour then cover with a lid and cook for a further 1 hrs 15 minutes or until you can easily pull the bones off the meat, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the cooking juices.

It is vital you soak you black beans in plenty of cold water for at least 18 hrs and change the water at least once.  Heat a deep saucepan that can go in the oven to medium hot, add the olive oil and onions and gently soften for approx 10 minutes then add the sweetcure bacon and green peppers and cook for a further 10 minutes then add 2 cups of the rib cooking juices and the rest of the ingredients, stir to combine you want a loose soupy consistency, pop the pan in the oven and bake for around 2 hrs or until the consistency is medium thick and BBQ Bean gorgeousness.

Remove the rib meat from the bones and shred, add to the beans and season with sea salt and pepper then taste, you can adjust the intensity of the BBQ flavour by playing with the tomato ketchup, brown sugar and white wine vinegar if you want too making your choice of North Carolina with more vinegar or Texas style with more brown sugar and ketchup, then enjoy.

SUPER EASY SLOW BRAISED FIVE SPICED BELLY PULLED PORK

WoW what a fabulous dinner, aromatic sticky naturally sweet juicy pork and once again I had to fight the hoards off with chopsticks!  Simple one pan cook with mouthwatering results goes great tossed through noodles, rice or stuffed into pancakes.  I served this with pan seared multiple greens, julienned carrots and rice.

Prep Time 5 minutes / Marinating Time 0hrs - 24hrs / Cooking Time 1 hour ish

Ingredients

(serves 3-4)

1kg belly pork piece

2 tsp five spice

(want to make your own see below)

2 ltr home pressed natural apple juice

sea salt

white pepper

The longer you can marinate your pork the better, I will often marinate the pork for 24hrs, this seems to make some people feel daunted, it is no big deal, it takes five minutes the night before and then you are good to go and the pork is loaded with so much more flavour, but if you only have a few minutes don't worry the flavour is almost as good.

To marinate rub the the belly pork with the five spice, salt and pepper, place in a deep plastic tub and pop in the fridge to marinate anywhere from 30 minutes to 24hrs.

Pre heat the oven to 160 degrees C / 320 F, in a small but deep roasting tin place the belly pork, add the apple juice and cover with baking paper and then tin foil to create a seal, pop in the oven and slowly cook for approx 1 hour or until you feel you could pull the joint apart easily with a fork. I decided to slice the joint for this dish but you can easily pull the pork. 

Remove from the oven and leave on the side for 15 minutes to rest and absorb the cooking juices, if you are going to serve this later leave in the cooking juices until completely cool this makes the belly pork even more succulent, that's is simple.

To serve I pan seared a bunch of greens and julienned carrots and steamed some rice and then tossed together and served with the pulled pork on top.  This pork also goes great in a toasted bun topped with a apple slaw.

Five Spice Powder

(makes 2 tbsp)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp toasted fennel seeds ground

1 tsp whole star anise ground

1 tsp toasted szechuan peppercorns ground

Mix all together, yields approx 2 tbsp in total, keep in a air tight glass jar until needed, best used within three months of making.