Adventures of Cumbrian Blondie

Super tasty, easy to make and quick especially when I’m hungry angry. The recipe is easily halved. 

Ingredients 

500g pork mince 

4 spring onions finely sliced

2tsp grated ginger

3 garlic cloves crushed

I chilli finely sliced, plus extra to finish 

Bunch of coriander chopped 

Handful of mint chopped 

1 egg, beaten 

1tbsp soy sauce 

3tbsp sesame seeds 

2 X packs of fresh egg noodles 

2 X packs of tender stem broccoli 

4 tbsp light soy sauce 

6 tbsp sweet chilli sauce 

Method 

Place the pork, ginger, garlic, chilli, coriander, mint, spring onions, seasoning , egg and soy sauce into a bowl and mix well. Roll mix into 20 small balls. Roll each in sesame seeds to coat.

Into a wok, heat a tbsp of oil. Stir fry in batches for 12-15 minutes until cooked. Transfer to a warm plate and set aside.

Add another tbsp of oil and stirfry the broccoli until tender, then add the noodles along with the soy and chilli sauce. Stirfry until the noodles are warmed through. Add the meatballs and cook all together for 5 minutes. 

Serve in a bowl with the remaining sliced chillis as a garnish. 

I do like eating veggie food. This is super easy to make. I added a shake of chilli flakes to the top before baking. 

Ingredients 

8 plum tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, lightly bashed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 rosemary sprig

½ tbsp golden caster sugar

2 leeks, sliced into rings

20g unsalted butter

100g baby spinach

500g courgettes, grated

10 lasagne sheets

250g tub of ricotta

125g mozzarella, torn

50g Parmesan grated 

Method 

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the tomatoes on a baking tray with the garlic, oil, rosemary and a good pinch of seasoning. Bake for 25-30 mins until soft, then discard the rosemary and peel off the garlic skin. Put the tomatoes, garlic and sugar in a blender and blitz a few times until you have a chunky sauce.

Meanwhile, put the leeks in a pan over a low heat, add the butter, season and cook for 7-10 mins or until soft. Add the spinach and courgettes, and cook, covered, for 2 mins until wilted and soft. Set aside.

In a lasagne dish, layer up the ingredients using the tomato sauce first, then some pasta, followed by the ricotta and vegetables. Keep layering until you’ve used up everything. Finish with a final layer of the vegetables, the mozzarella and the Parmesan. Bake in the oven for 40-45 mins until the sauce has reduced and the top is golden brown.

I saw one of my food heroes Nigel Slater doing “Perky Turkey” on one of his festive programmes.  It is so easy to do and worked really well with chicken and lamb.  I do love using up food, hate waste. Continue reading →