Dr Pepper Pulled Pork

  Hello

안녕하세요 

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは 

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

Time for me to share with you another tried and tested Pinch of Nom recipe, this time it's their Cherry Cola Pulled Pork, the recipe states you can also do the dish with Dr Pepper, so that's what I decided to do, hence the title. There are 3 methods for this dish, the Oven Method, which takes 2 hours and 35 minutes, the Pressure Cooker Method, which takes 35 minutes and finally the Slow Cooker Method, which takes 5-10 hours.

I did the Oven Method, so lets get started.

Lets get cooking!

Ingredients:

1.5 kg pork shoulder joint (weight including fat)

4 white onions, peeled & roughly sliced

660 ml Dr pepper

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce or Henderson's relish

1 pork stock cube, crumbled

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp garlic granules

1 tsp onion granules

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

4 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Start off by pre-heating your oven to 170C/Fan 150C/Gas Mark 3.

Next remove the visible fat from the pork shoulder joint, cut the meat into large chunks (about size of a matchbox), then put in a large ovenproof dish.

Next to the pork add the onions, Dr Pepper, Worcestershire sauce, stock cube, paprika, garlic granules, onion granules and a pinch each of salt and pepper, then give a good stir to combine.

Put the lid on the dish and place it in the middle of the oven for 2 and a half hours.

Once the meat is ready it will be tender and falling apart when you push your fork into it. Skim away any fat that may have risen to the top of the stock.

Remove the pork and place it into a separate bowl.

If you are able to use your dish on the hob then do so, otherwise if not, transfer the onions and stock into a saucepan and place on a medium heat (dish is the same heat). stir in the tomato puree and balsamic vinegar, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the stock has reduced by half.

Use a stick blender to blend the onions and stock. You should be left with a thick BBQ sauce. If it's still too thin, reduce further over a medium heat.

While the sauce is reducing, shred the pork using two forks.

Lastly pour the sauce over the pork, make sure to coat it well.

This dish can be frozen once cooled, make sure to defrost fully then reheat until piping hot.

Serve hot, I served ours with steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes.

This went down a treat when we had it, it was really tasty and I'll happily make it again, the only part I found time consuming and off putting was getting all the fat off the pork.

I'd definitely say that this dish is a treat and would be perfect on some crusty bread rolls too.

If you're interested in any of Pinch of Nom's recipe's then you can buy the recipe books in all major supermarkets as well as online retailers Waterstones and Amazon.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

Ramen

Hello

안녕하세요 

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは 

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

I love trying new recipes and today I'm sharing with you another recipe from the Pinch of Nom Everyday Light recipe book, this time from their Stews and Soups section.
Let's get cooking!

Ingredients:
200 g tenderstem broccoli
low-calorie cooking spray
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
2.5 cm piece of root ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 fresh chilli, finely chopped (or a pinch of dried chilli flakes)
1.2 litres chicken stock ( 2 chicken stock cubes dissolved in 1.2 litres water)
2 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
9 tbsp soy sauce
300 g chicken breast (skin and visible fat removed)
100 g spring green cabbage , trimmed and shredded
2 nests dry egg noodles
For the toppings:
4 eggs
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
bunch of spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
lime wedges, to serve (optional)

Start off by trimming the florets off the broccoli, place to one side and thinly slice the remaining stems. Now spray a wok with low-calorie cooking spray and add the onion and broccoli stems and stir-fry for 1 minute. I only did the onions as I misread the recipe and chopped off my broccoli and then threw the stems in the bin.

Next add half of the garlic, three quarters of the ginger, and the chilli, and continue cooking for another minute. Add the stock, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce and 8 tbsp's of the soy sauce, and bring to a boil.

Add the chicken and reduce the heat to a simmer, then poach the chicken for 15-20 minutes, until it's cooked and there is no pink inside.

While the chicken is poaching. boil the eggs for 7 minutes, while the eggs are boiling, prepare a dish of cold iced water. When the timer is up, plunge the eggs into the bowl of water. Carefully remove the shells and cut in half.

\When the chicken is cooked, remove from the broth and shred, keep to one side.

Add the shredded cabbage to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.

In a separate pan, stir-fry the broccoli florets, with the remaining garlic, ginger and soy sauce.

Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling salted water for 4 minutes, then drain.

Assemble the ramen. Evenly distribute the noodles between your bowls. Spoon over the cabbage and broth. Arrange the carrots, pepper, spring onion, shredded chicken and stir-fried broccoli on top. Top each bowl with two egg halves and serve, with lime cheeks for squeezing over if desired.

Both myself and Skye are fans of ramen, so I knew I had to give this recipe a try as soon as I saw it. I've never poached chicken before, but I was surprised how moist and juicy the chicken still was, even after shredding it. I loved the broth it tasted really nice and worked really well with all the vegetables, I'd love to be able to buy some sort of device that will help make make the thin little strips of the carrots, pepper and broccoli stems, but I still found them really tasty. Once everything was mixed together it was even more delicious, I'd happily cook this again and I was even surprised by how much it tasted like ramen from our usual haunts Wagamama's and Yo Sushi! I'd even go a step further by saying it was slightly better.
This recipe I think is a perfect recipe to create while we're stuck at home, while the restaurants are closed, nothing can be some good home cooked Japanese inspired food.

If you're interested in any of Pinch of Nom's recipe's then you can buy the recipe books in all major supermarkets as well as online retailers Waterstones and Amazon.

See you soon!

안녕
(Annyeong)
さようなら
(Sayonara)
再见
(ZaiJian)
Bye

Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

Hello

안녕하세요 

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは 

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

I'm back with another recipe that I've tried and tested from the Everyday Light Pinch of Nom recipe book, which is part of the Stews and Soups section, which has 2 cooking methods, the Oven Method and the Slow Cooker Method, the method I will be sharing with you is the slow cooker method.
Let's get cooking!

Ingredients:
Low-calorie cooking spray
400 g lean, diced stewing beef
1 large onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 celery stick, diced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
500 ml beef stock (3 beef stock cubes dissolved in 500 ml boiling water)
2 tsp red wine vinegar
500 g sweet potato, peeled and diced
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
fresh thyme, to serve (optional)

Start off by spraying some low-calorie cooking spray into a pan, place over a medium-high heat and add the beef and fry for 4-5 minutes.

Next add the onion, celery, carrots, sweet potato, garlic granules and dried thyme to the slow cooker.

Next add the tin chopped tomatoes.

Next add the tomato puree and the red wine vinegar.

Next season with salt and pepper and pour in the beef stock.

Next add the beef to the slow cooker and stir well.

Cook the stew on low for 7 hours.

Once cooked for 7 hours, gently squash some of the sweet potato and stir, this will thicken the gravy. Now you're ready to serve.

I absolutely loved this stew, all the flavours worked really well together and I'll happily cook it again. It was really quick and easy to prepare ready to get it all in the slow cooker, meaning when I walked in from work, it was ready for me and Skye to sit down and enjoy.

If you're interested in any of Pinch of Nom's recipe's then you can buy the recipe books in all major supermarkets as well as online retailers Waterstones and Amazon.

See you soon!

안녕
(Annyeong)
さようなら
(Sayonara)
再见
(ZaiJian)
Bye

Slow-Cooked Cuban Beef

Hello

안녕하세요 

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは 

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

For today's recipe and dish, I'm heading back into the Pinch of Nom recipe book as there is a section for stews and soups, which are perfect for slow-cooking, meaning your dinner/tea is cooking while you're busy at work, so when you walk through the door, all you need to do is dish it up and enjoy.

Let's get cooking!

Ingredients:

500 g stewing beef

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Low-calorie cooking spray

2 onions, sliced

240 ml beef stock (2 beef stock cubes dissolved in 240 ml boiling water)

1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp coriander

1 red wine stock pot

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

cooked rice, to serve (optional)

Start off by seasoning your beef with the salt and pepper, then spray your frying pan with some low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Add the meat and saute for a few minutes until browned.

Next add all the remaining ingredients to your slow cooker, along with the browned meat and stir.

Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 6 hours, or on medium for 8 hours.

If using a piece of stewing meat, you can now pull the meat apart with 2 forks, if the sauce is still a little thin, remove the slow cookers lid and allow it to reduce slightly.

Serve with rice or whatever you fancy.

I thought the slow-cooker method was really easy and simple to follow, the only thing I was left disappointed and gutted about was that some of the dish was burnt to the sides of my slow cooker. Overall I loved the flavours and how soft the beef was, I think if I cooked it this way again I would add a little more liquid, so that it doesn't all pretty much cook away and burn to the sides. 

There are 2 other methods of cooking this dish which is on the hob/in the oven and an electric pressure cooker. If you would like to follow any of the other methods or check out the full recipe, as I missed out some of the ingredients due to Skye not liking them, then check out the Pinch of Nom recipe book.

You can buy the recipe book in all major supermarkets as well as online retailers Waterstones and Amazon.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye