Moerby Ratatouille

Vegetable stew with aubergine and baby marrows, making it ratatouille :-) This should work with pretty much any vegetables you have in the 'fridge.

• Garlic
• Two onions (I used red ones)
• Two aubergines / eggplants
• Punnet baby marrows
• Half a hubbard squash
• One large parsnip
• Mushrooms
• Vegetable stock
• Salt, pepper, herbs

Starting with the obiquitous flat bottomed black pot, gently heat garlic in some oil. Add chopped onion & soften. Add diced vegetables, starting with aubergine at the bottom and ending off with baby marrows and mushrooms on top.

When the aubergine's generated some water, stir in the stock powder, salt, pepper, whatever.

When the squash and parsnip is soft, the pot's done. Serve with cous-cous.

Beef Stew

Most of these measurements are approximate, do what looks and feels right, it's the only way to cook.

• 500 grams beef goulash
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 4 rashers back bacon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 6 or 8 baby onions / shallots
• 6 baby carrots or 3 or 4 carrots in 1" lengths
• 2 turnips, diced (2cm cubes I guess)
• Half a butternut, diced
• Any other veggies lurking in the back of the fridge.
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 tsp beef stock powder
• 1 cup boiling water
• 250 gr mushrooms (I like portbellinis)

Put the flour & pepper in a bowl, add the beef bit by bit, shake to cover with flour.

Fry bacon (tip : slow frying makes magical bacon). Remove.

Put the beef cubes in the pot, spaced out (you probably need to do half the beef at a time). Slowly brown the meat. Turn the cubes over once the bottom side is nice and crunchy. Remove beef from pot.

Melt the butter and slowly caramelize the onions. Add the mushrooms and fry. Add carrots and turnips. Deglaze pot with red wine. Cut bacon into bits with scissors and add to pot. Also add beef.

Sprinkle stock powder into pot and add water. Bring to boil & simmer. Add cinnamon, bay leaves, bouquet garni,Worcestershire, whatever floats your boat.

When you think this is about half done, add the butternut.

When you think it's almost done, start boiling the potatoes in a separate pot with some salt (I'm really writing this recipe for a bachelor-type audience, no?)

When the potatoes are cooked, make mash, serve.

Pork Chops with Apple, Onion and Sweet Potato

This one is my interpretation of a recipe off allrecipies.com. As always, use a flat black pot.

• 2 Onions, sliced into thick rings
• 4 pork chops
• Salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme, whatever you like with pork
• 2 sweet potatoes, sliced
• 2 apples (Granny Smith), peeled, cored, quartered
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

Caramelize onions on low heat. While that's going, Liberally sprinkle pork chops with cayenne pepper, a bit of salt, paprika if you want to, and herbs.

When onions are caramelized (two or three beers later), remove from pot, and brown the pork chops on both sides. Layer onions, sweet potatoes, and apples. Sprinkle with sugar, black pepper and salt.

Cover and bake for 1 hour at 180 degrees C.

I normally cook baby carrots and brussel sprouts on the side, and serve this with mash.

Kinda Moroccan Chicken

Drain a tin of chickpeas, stick it in an oven proof dish or deep baking sheet, balance six or so chicken thighs on top of this (the recipe I stole this from used breasts, you can also use a whole spatchcocked chicken, whatever works) and brush with about half the oil mix. Toss about two cups of cherry tomatoes with the rest of the oil mix and layer on top of the chicken. Add some dhania if you have, salt and pepper. Oven at 180 for 20 minutes or so, serve with the yoghurt mix from the fridge and more dhania.

Chicken Curry Casserole

• 1 kg drumsticks & thighs
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 granny smiths, sliced
• 250gr mushrooms (I prefer Portbellini)
• 10ml curry powder (I never measure)
• lots of paprika
• 250ml chicken stock
• 250ml cream

Season the chicken pieces with salt & pepper and whatever else you like (I often lean towards cayenne pepper).

In the ubiquitous flat black pot, fry the onion in a bit of oil until glossy. Add the mushrooms and apple and fry till brown. Reduce the heat a bit and stir in the curry powder and paprika (if you don't like paprika, replace with flour. This thickens to make a sauce). Stir for about a minute, stir in the stock, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and from pot.

Fry the chicken until golden brown, then arrange flat in the bottom of the pot. Stir the cream into the sauce and pour over the chicken pieces. Bake for an hour at 180 degrees C.

I normally serve this with a green salad and fresh bread. Rice also goes well.

Pork & Cabbage

This one might be a bit bland for some, but it's quick and easy and I like it...

• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger (or ginger & garlic)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 or 2 medium onions, chopped
• 300 or 400 gr pork goulash
• 4 cups shredded cabbage

Mix soy sauce, ginger and sugar in a bowl. Fry onions in some oil (yes, in a flat black pot) and add the pork, fry until pork is basically done. Add cabbage and soy sauce mixture, stir until cabbage is tender.

Serve on rice or mash.

hits since 2011-08-04.

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(This page last modified 2011-08-04)