PORK AND PRAWN SESAME POT STICKER BALLS

Gluten Free

Recently having to remove all flours from my diet due to anaphylactic shock from eating a bread has pushed my inventiveness of some of my favourite foods, admittedly this is after I finished chewing on a lemon about being restricted with choices of food for life !  But when life gives you lemons, make LEMONADE...

These gorgeous balls are full of the aromatic flavours of ginger, lemongrass and sesame mixed with minced cold water prawns and belly pork make these a divine kind of pot sticker that when dipped in a sweet and vinegary soy sauce with a kick of wasabi are just as good if not better than that memory of a traditional pot sticker.

Prep 10 minutes / Cooking time 10 minutes

Ingredients

(makes approx 20)

20 raw cold water prawns

400g organic pork mince

1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1/2 tsp minced lemongrass 

2 clove garlic chopped

3 spring onions finely chopped

2 tbsp shaoxing wine

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

sea salt

white pepper

Dipping Sauce

100ml light soy sauce

50ml rice wine vinegar

10ml mirin

2 red chillies finely diced

1 spring onion finely diced

3 drops of sesame oil

1 pea size of wasabi

De-vein the prawns and chop by hand, place in a large mixing bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and mix together well.

With damp hands form into firm balls about the size of golf balls and place on a baking tray, bake at 180 C / 356 F for around 7 minutes or until cooked through, alternatively you can pan fry these instead.

Meanwhile make the dipping sauce, mix all the ingredients together, serve as soon as they are cooked and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy...

FRENCH COGNAC CHICKEN LIVER PARFAIT

Really quick and simple yet very show stopper for that wow flavour impressing family and friends.  This can be as boozey or not as you like, for my family and friends they love the brandy buttery hit in this simple French classic pate.  This can be made days in advance and kept in the fridge and as a bonus freezes well, I make a double batch and freeze half.

Prep time 10 minutes / Cooking time 15 minutes

Ingredients 

(makes 6)

300g organic chicken livers trimmed

100ml Tio Pepe and 200ml water mixed

1 shallot finely diced

1 clove of garlic finely diced

25g of butter 

1 dash of ooil

1 sprig of thyme leaves only

80ml ish of brandy

100ml double cream

120g melted butter for the seal

Salt and pepper to taste

Place the chicken livers in the combined TioPepe and water and leave to soak for 30 minutes.  This releases any ammonia.  Drain and pat dry.

  

Meanwhile gently melt the butter with the olive oil and soften the shallots and garlic without colouring, add the chicken livers to the shallots and gently pan fry until pink, turn up the heat briefly, add the brandy, reduce by half, add the thyme leaves and taste for seasoning, I add a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.

  Leave to rest until cool, then blend all the ingredients together until smooth or to the consistency you like, add the cream, give a quick blend, taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

If you want a really smooth pate, after blending smooth, pass through a sieve using the back of a

spoon.  Place your pate in a pretty ramekin or ball mason jars, gently melt the remaining butter and pour over the pate to seal and stop oxidation of the pate.   

This is a nice way to serve as the butter seal can be used on your fresh baked french baguette.