What's for tea tonight? (#8)

[Biddlybee]

Tonight is either beans on toast, plain toast, marmite toast, cheese toasties, eggs on toast or erm eggs and soldier... can you tell I haven't been shopping yet?

None of the above in the end. Was the boys choice for tea and he chose curry. I feel like shite today

 

[Steel Icarus]

Baked taters, chilli, cheese, butter. Winter food o' Kings.

 

[fredfelt]

Baked taters, chilli, cheese, butter. Winter food o' Kings.

I'm really lucky in having a wood burning stove and plenty of fuel. I mention this as the best jacket taters are cooked in the stove - with a bit of oil and salt in the foil. This is a regular winter weekend treat!

 

[ringo]

Getting a curry delivered as I'll be too busy drinking wine to cook. I'll barely have time to glue me rizlas together.

 

[Ron Merlin]

Cassoulet made with merguez last night - proper lush. Tonight it'll be something with diced venison. Probably a casserole done with either beer or wine. Don't know yet.

 

[sheothebudworths]

I'm not supposed to have the kids today, but I have a feeling my ex isn't going to make the same effort to collect them as he did to return my son yesterday (cos he wanted to go out )....so I've taken some keema palak out of the freezer for me to have with a mini naan and will just have to do them some southern style chicken strips and chips from the freezer if he leaves it too late to get them back at a reasonable time (or at all, since the very limited buses stopped running altogether after dark last night).

I take it back - he's just collected them (and only an hour later than he said - which is fine given the situation with the buses and the fact that he had to walk a fair way up the hill - and will have to walk back down with them now cos there're still no buses serving us here).

So just me for the weekend - woohoo!!!!!

My keema palak portion is really small, so I've gone for an 'authentic' Indian restaurant meal feel and just made a king prawn cocktail as a starter.

We made scones today too, so gave them to the kids to take their dad's (and hopefully ex will stop off and get some clotted cream to go with them ) but kept one behind for me to have later (with jam and squirty cream )

 

[sojourner]

Cassoulet made with merguez last night - proper lush. Tonight it'll be something with diced venison. Probably a casserole done with either beer or wine. Don't know yet.

Nom! Ello Ron!

Tonight we're on those magnificent co op proper-poncy margherita pizza, gb, and a salad. And a fuck off big bar of cadburys bubbly choccy whilst finishing off Big Bang Theory S1

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Going round to a mates to see her newly painted flat and she's cooking me jambalya

 

[sheothebudworths]

Will you be watching it dry?

 

[Biddlybee]

Boy is cooking up some chicken to go with leftover curry tonight, because I did shopping on the way home

I've got my pork shoulder in the fridge covered in spice rub for tomorrow. My course has been cancelled () but will still put the joint on in the morning v.low for hopefully a delicious tea... really hope i don't fuck it up as I've been looking forward to this all week!

 

[Voley]

What sort of spices do you use Biddly? I did this one last weekend and it was really good.

 

[Biddlybee]

First time I've done this, and going to roast it really low and slow. I put in: sugar, salt, paprika, cinnamon, mustard powder, cumin, coriander, black pepper, chilli powder, crushed chipotle.

Tomorrow will add garlic, ginger, thyme and soy

Hopefully with all that lot it won't matter that I forgot the cayenne!

 

[Voley]

That sounds ace.

 

[Biddlybee]

I am a bit scared, but have instructions from sheo

 

[Voley]

Ahhh, you'll be fine then. That one I did was a first attempt, too. The 'pouring boiling water over it the night before' thing really helped I think. Ace crackling.

 

[Biddlybee]

Bugger, my spices are already on it. Wasn't sure about the crackling... will find out tomorrow.

 

[Voley]

Ah it'll be fine. Jesus, all them spices are practically a meal in themselves.

 

[sheothebudworths]

Hope you pork goes well, Biddly - and don't be scared, hehe!


Btw, NVP - your talk of pouring boiling water over pork to get a crispy crackling has reminded me of Rick Stein's chinese pork belly, which I haven't made for too long and am now going to HAVE to have within the next couple of days - not AT ALL great for the old diet, but it's a scratch that must be itched now, so thanks for that!

I should wait till Monday when the kids are back, but I'm not sure I can wait that long, so might have to do it tomorrow instead which will be incredibly greedy of me - thinking it'd probably reheat reasonably well for us all the next day too though (justify, justify, justify..... )

Tonight though I've got pork bun cha in a soba noodle and veg soup. No coriander though, so might be a second reason to do a shop visit (that and the fact that I've barely been out in days)!

I fancy a stodgy pudding too. Might use up the two old pears I've got in the fridge and do a little pear crumble with an oaty topping to have with some ice cream.

 

[Biddlybee]

Hehehe... you've got a weekend on your tod, it's cold, have the pork belly sheo


My shoulder is in still not sure about the crackling business... reckon I can take it off before I shred the pork and crisp it up in the oven?

 

[sheothebudworths]

Yeah - I'm not sure if you'd get good crackling or not with it really - you might find it's a bit too wet/steamed - but then again bob's recipe removed the cover and turned it up at the end eh? Worth a try - and yeah, no harm in just taking it off altogether and sticking it back in the oven even if it is a bit soggy (for want of a better word ) although I guess then it might be worth keeping the oven on a moderate temp instead of high?

Thinking about it, the recipe I'm on about is a steam baked one too - although not for quite so long and that gets REALLY good crackling (having done the boiling water/larding needle thing beforehand - but it'd get crispy without).

ETA - Thanks for the encouragement for my pork belly btw - think I will indeed get myself off to Sainsburys in a bit

 

[Biddlybee]

Hmmm... I'm doing it at a slightly lower temp for longer, but will still uncover and turn up at the end

I won't eat the crackling anyway, only the boy will, so maybe experimenting is the way forward. I don't know

 

[sheothebudworths]

Ah no although the Rick Stein one is cooked over water, it's uncovered and a much higher/faster cooking temp/time comparatively.

I reckon just try what you've already suggested Biddly - remove the fat and carry on with the shredding and stick the fat back in to see what happens - nothing to lose, just possibly some nice crackling to gain!

 

[Biddlybee]

And if I don't tell him, he'll never know if it goes wrong

 

[sheothebudworths]

Hmmm... I'm doing it at a slightly lower temp for longer, but will still uncover and turn up at the end

I won't eat the crackling anyway, only the boy will, so maybe experimenting is the way forward. I don't know

Yeah the only thing I'd worry about would be that it'd then possibly toughen up your nice tender meat - but tbf that seems like a stupid thought with the fat still on to protect it.

Maybe you should cut it in half at that point and try it both ways! Half where the whole thing stays in a hot oven at the end and half where the meat comes out and the fat goes back in on it's own....fucking hell, I dunno!

 

[sheothebudworths]

Just looked for wayward bob's recipe - and it says this....

About six hours before you want to eat, preheat the oven or smoker to 150° C (300° F). Place the pork joint, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting tin. Pour the apple juice and water into the bottom of the tin. (The liquid should not be touching the meat.) Cover the roasting tin tightly with a few layers of tin foil and place in the oven for five hours. Don’t poke at the pork while it’s cooking; it should be left to steam gently in its tinfoil hat.

When the five hours are up, remove the tinfoil. If the liquid in the pan looks like it might dry up, add a wine glass of water. Turn the heat up to 200° C (400° F) and cook the joint uncovered for half an hour. Remove the meat to a large bowl, keeping the juices in the bottom of the roasting tin.

....so I don't see any reason why you shouldn't do exactly the same thing for the last half hour Biddly!

ETA - And THEN if it's still not crispy - remove it and put it back in on it's own (although I'd turn it down a touch or you might just end up with shit loads of smoke coming from the oven )!

The Boy SHALL HAVE HIS CRISPY FAT...HURRAH!

 

[Biddlybee]

None of the recipes say what to do with the fat!

I will report back

 

[BoatieBird]

Tonight for tea I shall be having:

Prawn cocktail
Coq au vin
Black Forest gateaux

 

[Thimble Queen]

Left over chilli with sweet potato mash, turned into a chilli shepherds pie hybrid... mmmmm

 

[sheothebudworths]

Biddly! How is it?! You've got me all nervous on your behalf!

I can't be fucked to cook now but I did brave a fucking downpour to walk all the way to Sainsburys (a mile or so - I was SOAKED!) so have the pork belly (woooohooooooooo!), but it'll have to wait till Monday now cos I still have to use the pork tenderloin that was supposed to be for today tomorrow now! ARGH!

Got some flamegrilled steak ridged Kettle crisps for tonight though and some crab pate to have on my shite white bread (toasted ) if I can even be arsed to do that after my wine!

Trying to find stocking fillers for my son, atm!
Can't seem to find anything cheap that I haven't already bought for him at least twice over!

 

[Kanda]

Ham, egg and chips. Just got in fromm work and can't be arsed.