Braised Pork with Prunes

800g Pork Belly or Loin or whatever, diced

10 pitted prunes

1 tblspn lard

6 juniper berries, crushed with the side of your knife

Fresh thyme

1 med onion, peeled and sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

150ml dry cider

1 large granny smith apple, peeled cored and sliced

a little sugar

1 large Desiree or Pontiac potato, sliced

Butter

Pepper and Salt

Preheat your oven, 170 for a slow cook or 200 for loin or similar.

Fry the pork in the lard in an oven-proof pot so they brown nicely (you may need to do this in 2 batches) then remove to a bowl.

Fry the onions and garlic in the same pan, once they’re cooked add the pork back, season with salt and pepper, tuck a prune here and there and sprinkle with the stripped thyme leaves and juniper berries.  Pour over the cider.

Artistically arrange (or just throw) the apple slices over the top and give them a very light sprinkle of sugar. Finally, arrange the potato slices on top, making sure they overlap.

Season with some more pepper and salt and dot with a few splodges of butter.

For prime cut pork cook uncovered for 1 hour.

For a secondary cut, cover the dish with foil and bake for 1½ hours then remove the foil and cook for a further 50 minutes or so - or until the potatoes have turned a lovely golden brown.

Enjoy!

Dal Tarka

I love dal! it's delicious and a great quick side dish for all your curry needs.

1 cup masoor dal (split red lentils)

1/4 cup moong dal (split yellow lentils)

2 green chillies, slit

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp grated garlic

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

3 tbsp ghee

1 tsp mustard seeds (black or yellow is fine)

1 1/2 tsp nigella seeds (make sure they don’t sell you black sesame! Indians call nigella kalonji)

1 whole dry red chilli, chopped up finely (remove the seeds if you don’t like it too hot)

1/2 a sliced onion

1 chopped roma tomato

coriander

Rinse the dals in water (about 3 – 4 washes, strain through a sieve).  Drain and put in a pot with the chilli, ginger, garlic, turmeric powder and 3 cups of water.  Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer uncovered until the dal is tender (about 25 min).  Remove the chillies and give the dal a brisk stir so it goes all mushy and delicious.

In a separate pot, heat the ghee and add the mustard seeds and nigella seeds. When the mustard seeds start to spit, add the red chilli and onions and sauté until the onions turn golden and crispy (but don't burn them!)

Add the tomatoes and sauté for a further 3-4 minutes.  Add to the dal and mix well.  Start adding salt.  You want to keep adding until you can really taste the buttery ghee – this is the point of dal perfection.  Stop then or you’ll ruin it and just have salty dal – but not enough salt and it will be bland dal.  It’s a fine dal line you’re walking here, so be careful. Serve hot garnished with coriander.

Gosht Vindaloo

1 kg Braising Beef (F&B Chianina is of course best)
6 green cardamom pods
1 tsp black peppercorns
4 dried Kashmiri chillies
1 tsp cloves
10 cm piece of cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
4 tbsp clear vinegar
1 tbsp dark (molasses) vinegar (balsamic is a good substitute)
4 tbsp oil
2 onions finely sliced
10 garlic cloves finely sliced
5 cm piece ginger cut into matchsticks
3 ripe tomatoes (or half a tin)
4 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp jaggery or soft brown sugar

Get your delicious F&B braising beef out of the freezer and thaw.

Grind up all of the whole spices, add the turmeric and stir through the vinegars to make a nasal cleansing spice mix.  I don't even bother shelling the cardamom to be honest (God, I live life on the edge).  Add your beef and go do something cultural for the afternoon.

Heat your oil in a heavy based pan or karhai* and fry the onions until they're deliciously brown.  Add the garlic, ginger, tomato and chilli and cook for a bit then add the beef. Pump up the heat and fry for a bit.  Add the remaining marinate and 250 ml of water.  Bring back to the boil and add the sugar.  Cover and simmer until the beef is meltingly tender.  Add salt to taste and enjoy with your favourite Indian sides, breads, pickles and raita.

N.B. I do a quick raita by adding some sugar, salt and garam masala to some thick yoghurt; for when I invariably forget to buy cucumber and mint...

*Incidentally, did you know a karhai is a wok like pot that is used in Indian cooking - and where the English word 'curry' is derived from? There's actually no such thing as a curry in India... See what you learn reading my blogs?