Steak Fajita Wrap.

Steak Fajita Wrap.

A light and summery dinner tonight. Quick and easy but still different and definitely not mundane. The beef is spiced with fajita seasoning and so are the pan roasted peppers. For freshness there's a zesty and tangy avocado salsa. Have some chips alongside if you wish but I will pass on that today, still feeling guilty about binging on the pork belly.

Serves 3.

You will need some tortilla wraps.

   Avocado salsa.

In a large bowl, put in

-1 chopped avocado,

-2 finely sliced spring onions,

-2 chopped tomatoes,

-2 sliced chillies,

-2tbsp olive oil,

-2tbsp chopped coriander,

-juice of 1/2 lime,

-salt/pepper.

Mix well and leave aside.

   The steaks.

On a large platter, place,

-3x250g sirloin steaks, add

-2tbsp olive oil,

-salt/pepper,

-1tsp paprika,

-1tsp cayenne pepper,

-2tsp onion granules,

-2tsp garlic granules.

Rub the marinade liberally over the steaks.

Leave to marinate for 10-15 minutes or so.

   The Peppers.

In a large frying pan, with a tablespoon of vegetable oil, fry

-2 sliced peppers,

-1 sliced onion,

-2 cloves garlic.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, add

-1tsp paprika,

-1tsp cayenne pepper,

-2tsp onion granules,

-2tsp garlic granules,

-salt/pepper,

-1tbsp balsamic vinegar,

-1tbsp soy sauce.

Stir well and continue to cook until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.

White Chocolate, Oat and Pistachio Cookies.

White Chocolate, Oat and Pistachio Cookies.

Spent a very hot afternoon making cookies with the girls. Another of our super easy recipe. These cookies are perfect for grownups as they are not overly sweet (I feel the recipe could do with another 20g of sugar but tasters have said the cookies are sufficiently sugared). The chocolate chip cookie recipe can be found here on CCC.

Makes 18.

Preparation:

Dry roast 80g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped and leave aside.

In a saucepan, put in,

-100g white chocolate, with 

-150g butter,

-pinch of salt.

Cook, stirring constantly, on low heat until the mixture has melted.

Take the pan off the heat, add

-100g caster sugar,

-1tsp vanilla bean paste.

Mix well to combine, add 

-120g self raising flour,

-150g rolled oats.

Stir well, add

-1 whisked egg,

-chopped pistachios.

Divide into 18 equal portions.

Place onto 3 baking trays, lined with baking paper.

Bake in 180c fan forced oven for 12 minutes.

The cookies should still be extremely soft.

Leave to cool completely on the baking trays.

Crispy Pork Belly หมูกรอบ.

Crispy Pork Belly หมูกรอบ.

I have great self control over my food, although there are a couple of exceptions in this self righteous boast, Macarons and crispy skinned food. I find it impossible to stop. My older daughter and I seem to share this love of everything crispy skinned. Luckily for us nobody else is keen so more for the greedy mum and daughter. 

One of the rite of passages in becoming a good cook in Thailand is to know how to cook a perfectly crispy skinned pork. Here's hoping I've passed with flying colours.

It's taken such hard work to get the skin crispy only for us to use it as a means to an end. Thais don't normally like the pure taste of meat and we are great at covering it in sauces as we feel the flavour is enhanced this way. So there's a picture of the crispy skinned being stir fried.

Preparation:

1.2kg pork belly, score the skin, season with salt/pepper.

In a large oven tray, put in,

-2tbsp soy sauce,

-2tbsp oyster sauce,

-1tbsp sesame oil,

-1tbsp balsamic vinegar,

-4tbsp water,

-3cm sliced ginger,

-3 cloves crushed garlic,

-1 stick cinnamon,

-2 star anise,

-1tsp peppercorns.

Mix well, add

-pork belly.

Leave the pork to marinate, flesh sided own, for 45 minutes.

Bake in 150c fan forced for 1:30 hours.

Bake at 220c fan forced for 45-50 minutes or until the skin is crispy.

Place under a hot grill if you still haven't achieved the perfect crackling.

Chorizo and Ham Paella.

Chorizo and Ham Paella.

Not quite your traditional paella as the rest of the family is not too keen on seafood. This is another happy byproduct of a glazed ham. The ham stock is so well spiced and seasoned that soups, casseroles, risottos and paellas can be whipped up in super quick time but the flavour is more than guaranteed.

Serves 4.

Preparation:

   The base.

1 sliced pepper.

1 sliced onion.

2 cloves chopped garlic.

100g sliced chorizo.

100g sliced glazed ham.

   Seasoning.

-1tbsp paprika.

-1tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

   Rice.

-300g paella rice.

   Ham stock.

-650-700ml.

   Vegetables.

200g fresh peas.

2tbsp chopped chives.

Lemon or lime wedges.

In a large saucepan, with a tablespoon of olive oil, add

-the base ingredients.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, add

-seasoning,

-rice.

Cook, stirring constantly to coat the rice in the spices, add

-600ml stock.

Stir to combine.

Cover with a lid and leave to simmer on a low-medium heat, for 15 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.

Give the paella a stir.

Taste the rice to see how much more stock you think it will need, add more stock as needed.

When the rice is cooked through, stir through,

-peas, 

-chives.

Spoon onto a serving dish, serve with lime wedges.

Barbecue Ham Glaze.

Barbecue Ham Glaze.

To be fair it's too hot for glazed ham but when I struggle to come up with a meal that all 5 of us will and can eat, a meal that can look after itself, I always resort to glazed ham. I have been good and have not made the same glaze twice as of yet. As this is barbecue season I have come up with a barbecue sauce for the glaze. I think we all enjoyed it. Don't throw away the poaching liquid, I have a recipe to show you using the ham stock.

In a large stock pot, put in

-2.3 gammon joint, with

-3 litres water, 

-10-15 cloves,

-1tsp black peppercorns,

-1 cinnamon stick,

-2 star anise,

-1tsp coriander seeds,

-2 carrots, cut into chunks,

-2 stalks celery, cut into chunks,

-1 large onion, quartered.

Bring to the boil and turn the heat down to a gentle simmer.

Cook for 2 hrs. Leave the ham to cool in the stock pot.

   Barbecue Sauce.

In a large saucepan, with a tablespoon of vegetable oil, fry

-1 large sliced onion, with

-3 cloves chopped garlic,

Cook, stirring occasionally, on low heat until the vegetables have softened, add

-300g tomato sauce,

-200g soft brown sugar,

-200ml malt vinegar,

-1tbsp paprika,

-1tsp cayenne pepper (adjust according to your taste).

Leave to simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for around 15 minutes (180c fan forced oven)

When the ham is cooled enough to handle, 

-remove the fat, 

-score the skin.

Spread 2/3 of the glaze liberally over the ham.

Bake 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes.

Leave to rest for 15 minutes 

Serve with the remaining barbecue sauce.

Chicken with Chilli Oil ไก่ผัดน้ำพริกเผา

Chicken with Chilli Oil ไก่ผัดน้ำพริกเผา

Don't let the name or the colour turn you off, this is not going to make you start breathing like a dragon. The dish is sweet, spicy, smoky, quick, easy and most importantly delicious (I actually had some chillies on the side as it wasn't hot enough for me). The sun is out, so quick and satisfying dishes are a must. This recipe works well with other proteins, prawns and pork are also popular. This chilli oil is the ingredient that gives Tom Yum Goong its colour. 

Thank you, as always, to my brother Jung and his partner Sean who must have sneaked the jar into my pantry.

   The vegetables.

1 sliced onion.

2 cloves chopped garlic.

1 sliced pepper.

1 carrots, cut into matchsticks.

100g sliced mushrooms.

   The Sauce.

1tbsp oyster sauce.

2tbsp soy sauce.

1/2tsp caster sugar.

   The Protein.

400g free range sliced chicken breast.

In a large wok, on high heat, with a tablespoon of vegetable oil, add 

-the vegetables.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, add

-the sauce.

Stir well to combine, add

-1tbsp chilli oil, add

-chicken 

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken pieces are cooked through.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Stir through 2 sliced spring onions.

Serve with rice.

Almond and Peach Cake.

Almond and Peach Cake.

A gluten free cake that still delivers big on flavours and texture. It's not my intention,of course, for it be gluten free but I have a big bag of ground almonds that I wanted to cook with. I love baking with ground almonds, they make the cakes moist, light and that nutty yumminess is just addictive.

Equipment:

23cm springform cake tin, lined with baking paper.

Preparation:

Cut 4 peaches into 2cm chunks.

    For the cake.

Use an electric mixer,beat,

-250g ground almonds, with

-250g butter, at room temperature,

-250g caster sugar,

-4 eggs,

-2tsp baking powder,

-1tsp vanilla bean paste,

-pinch of salt.

Beat well to combine the ingredients.

Stir through the prepared peach chunks.

Spoon into the prepared tin.

Oven 180c fan forced.

Bake 50 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean.

Leave to cool completely in the cooking tin.