Written by Karen Watts
Cooking and eating is about love and joy. If it isn’t then the food you make and consume will be so much less than it could be.
I spent many years in Central London teaching after school Healthy Eating and Cooking Classes to 9 – 12 year olds. Not only was this job fun and rewarding I also learnt a lot. I learnt that, in the main, most people are unadventurous when it comes to food and predominantly will only eat that which they are used to eating. I learnt that the way to combat fear of different foods was to disguise it, have it consumed and then reveal it. I learnt that boys tend to be more interested in learning to cook than girls, though this could be due to the rise of male TV chefs over the last two decades. I learnt that confidence in the kitchen is the greatest culinary gift you can give anyone.
When I met Chris he could make a fabulous breakfast fry up but that was about the sum of his culinary skills. He also had a huge list of things he would not eat and apparently did not like – tomatoes, fresh tuna, duck to name just a few. It took a few years, but with love and perseverance, disguises and little white lies, he now eats lots of things he never would before he met me and he has learnt to be a really rather good cook.
One of the first things he made for me when his confidence grew came from a recipe book in the BBC Olive Magazine Series http://www.olivemagazine.com Originally he followed the recipe to the letter, but part of the learning and teaching process for me is encouraging people to “listen” to their tastebuds and follow their instincts. Just because something is written in a recipe book, doesn’t necessarily make it right. So, this is Chris’ version:
Pork Chops with Cider, Cream and Spinach
This is a Gluten Free Recipe
Olive Oil
2 Pork Chops
1 Onion, sliced
500 ml Cider
150 ml Thick Cream
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
200 gr Spinach (Chris doesn’t do washing and de-stemming, he buys bags pre-washed)
Knob of Butter
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan, season the chops then fry till browned. Remove the chops, add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes till soft and caramelised. Add the cider, bring to a bubble and reduce a little. Add the cream and mustard, stir, bring to a simmer then put the chops back in and cook for 8 – 10 minutes or until they are cooked through.
Meanwhile cook the spinach in a large pan with the butter for a minute or two until wilted.
Serve the chops and sauce with the spinach.
So, now he is good enough to compete, this week saw a “Pork Off”.
Pork & Aubergine in Chilli Sauce
This is a Lactose Free / Gluten Free Recipe
420 gr Belly Pork, thinly sliced
2 Spring Onions, finely chopped + 1 more for garnish
2 Slices of fresh Root Ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tsp Dry Sherry
3 tsp Cornflour
Vegetable Oil for deep frying
2 Medium Sized Aubergines. halved and sliced
3 tbsp Chilli Sauce (use less if you are wimpy about chilli)
6 tbsp Water
Put the pork in a bowl with the spring onions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sherry and cornflour. Mix well, then leave to marinate for 20 – 30 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large pot until a small hunk of bread browns in 30 seconds. Lower the heat, add the aubergine and deep fry for about a minute and a half. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Take 1 tbsp of oil from the pot and put in another large pot, or a wok is even better. Add the marinated pork and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the aubergine and chilli sauce and cook for one and a half minutes, then moisten with the water. Stir and simmer till the liquid has almost, but not completely, evaporated. Serve garnished with chopped spring onion.
Next time: Fulfilled Wish Lists. CLICK HERE to read…
