#it kind of dips the knife in lemon juice and salt before twisting it again | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-coconut-asado · 3 years

Text

A Bit Like Julie Andrews

A loathsome guest at a dinner party I once attended announced you can make anything taste good with fat. She said this as I was serving up a chocolate pecan tart promised to the host, and my first instinct was to divert it into her face. I didn’t of course, because violence and whip-smart retorts only ever live in my head. Later on, she invited me into the bathroom to see her new labia piercing. So, mixed messages.

That said, she had a point about fat. I’ve been writing this blog for eight years now and the most shared and liked recipes have lashings of fat and/or sugar in common. No surprises here - as we all aspire to cleaner, increasingly plant based virtue-signalling, how many of us are squirrelling away six pineapple Jaffa Cakes when we think no-one’s looking? Right this minute I am staring longingly across the coffee table at a box of Divine Mint Thins while a sweet potato bakes in the oven. And the rate at which we get through sea salt butter in our house (yep, the one with the extra crunchy salt crystals) is not something I am ever going to admit to my GP.

But if you all want fat and sugar, then I am here to please. Not necessarily with animal fat, and not always with proper sugar. One of the most versatile oils in my kitchen is coconut, sunflower oil always produces moist and springy sponge cakes and I could almost drink extra virgin olive. And I sometimes supplement no-carb Splenda for sugar in some recipes with zero difference noticed. None of this interferes with the popularity of the finished dish, sometimes it even enhances it - and I am often asked for recipes for dishes I photograph with abandon but haven’t got around to writing up.

So what follows then is only a bit like Julie Andrews: rather than a selection of my favourite things, it’s a revisiting of some of yours - a Top 4 of those recipes most often requested or dishes shared, fats or sugar included, with a couple of twists thrown in.

Perfect Roast Pork Belly

For my money the supreme leader of pork joints is belly - roasted long and slow until those layers of fat melt and the hide turns to the guiltiest pleasure of all: cracking. I used to subscribe to the belief that anything this good was proportionately difficult to achieve - but after many years and attempts, I have found a way as fool-proof and leave-it-alone succulent as you can get.

My advice is to serve this with creamed corn - fresh corn shucked and simmered in a little butter and cream. Pork and corn are a less-travelled match made in heaven. Cowboys kind of got the hang of it but were seduced into flatulence by the baked bean before the corn craze could really take off. But what the wild west discarded, the barbecue warriors picked up. OK I’m taking The Crown approach to history but you get the picture. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

One 2 kg pork belly joint, bone in ideally but not necessary( get your butcher to score the rind)

1 tbsp. each fennel seeds and cumin seeds

1 tbsp, chilli flakes

2 tbsp. Kosher salt

2 onions, cut into wedges

2 carrots cut into chunks

1 leek cut into chunks

200ml sherry or white wine

100ml water

For the creamed corn:

3 fresh ears of corn

50g butter

150ml double cream

Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make.

The night before you aim to roast the pork, get rid of any covering, pat the skin dry, pop it onto a dish and put in the fridge. This will dry out the skin and ultimately product better crackling.

Heat the oven to 220C (or 210C Fan) and take your belly out of the fridge at least 30 mins before roasting. Pulverise the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, salt and a and chilli flakes in a pestle and mortar. Rub the mix into the scores in the pork rind, then pop into the oven for 25 mins to get the crackling going.

After 25 mins,remove from the oven and transfer the pork onto a board and reduce the oven to 180C or 175C fan. Working quickly, toss the onions, carrots and leek into the roasting pan and then put the belly joint on top. Pour the sherry or white wine into the roasting pan around, not on, the pork. Return the pork to the oven and roast for two and a half - 3 hours.

Check the pork at 2 and a half hours - if you can wiggle the rib bone easily, great, if not, return to the oven for another 30 mins. Remove from the oven again and transfer the roast veg to a bowl and keep warm. Crank the oven back up to 220C and return the joint one last time to crisp up the crackling.

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 20 mins before carving

Dutch pancake with caramel apples

Leave It Alone is the best mantra for an easy life in the kitchen. Some dishes were made to be fussed over - risotto, caramel and of course pancakes. But a dutch pancake gives you both time to yourself and a whomping great wow factor when you bring it out of the oven. Thanks to Erin Jeanne McDowell at the New York Times for this little number. (Serves 3-4)

Ingredients

(100 g) plain flour

3 Tbsp. dark muscovado sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp kosher salt

Pinch ground nutmeg

50g unsalted butter

3 eggs

100ml cashew nut milk (or milk of your choice)

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the caramel apples:

40g butter

75 ml double cream

110g dark muscovado sugar

3-4 apples (granny smiths are good)

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp vanilla essence

Pinch of ground cinnamon

How to make

Heat the oven to 200C fan (210C). Put the butter in a frying pan or skillet that you can use on the hob and in the oven. When the oven is hot, pop the skillet in to melt the butter.

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Break up the eggs with the milk and vanilla essence then add to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.

Peel and core the apples then cut into thin slices and toss in the lemon juice.

Take the skillet out of the oven (the butter should have melte by now) and pour in the pancake batter. Put back in the oven and set your timer for 20 minutes.

While the pancake is doing its thing, make the caramel apples. Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the sugar and cream and mix again. Add the apples, stir to coat the apples in the caramel mix, then simmer gently for 5 minutes until the apples soften. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla essence and cinnamon.

After 20 minutes, and using protective gloves or oven mitts, remove the skillet from the oven. The pancakes should be all puffed around the edges like a dramatic Yorkshire pudding.

Pour the caramel apples into the centre, bring to the table and drizzle with double cream while everyone round the table gasps. DO NOT FORGET that the handle is hot so use your oven mitts while handling at the table.

Stuffed Courgette flowers

This is a romantic dish for me as it reminds me of my first trip to Rome. At the same time it’s tempura on steroids. Cook the whole (usually tiny) courgette with the flowers attached - it may not look as pretty but there is more flavour and nutrition (always handy when you are taking a bath in carbs). Like the Dutch pancake, this dish gives good gasp when it arrives on the table. (Serves 4).

Ingredients

8 courgettes with flowers attached

250g ricotta cheese, soft goat’s cheese or goat’s curd

6 anchovies, finely chopped

1 tbsp each finely chopped mint and parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the batter:

70g cornflour

30g plain flour

80ml ice-cold sparkling water or lager

400ml sunflower oil for frying

How to make:

Mix the cheese, anchovies, herbs and seasoning in a bowl.

Taking each courgette, gently splay the petals of the flower and remove the stamens with a small knife. Using a teaspoon, stuff each flower with the filling then twist the tips of the petals to seal.

In another bowl mix the batter ingredients and leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Heat the oil in a deep pan or flat-bottomed wok. Line a serving dish with kitchen paper. Once the oil is hot, take each courgette in turn, dip it in the batter (courgette and flower) and then carefully lay it in the oil and deep fry for a couple of minutes, until the batter turns golden and crisp. Try not to crowd the pan, you can probably fry three at a time. Remove each courgette and flower from the oil and onto the paper lined dish. When all the courgettes have been cooked, remove the kitchen paper and serve while hot, with some quick pickled red onion slices on the side.

Sweet potato Gnocchi with pesto

Anything a potato can do, a sweet potato can do as well if not better. Plus it’s packed with antioxidants (not red for nothing) and lower in the demon carbs. When in Buenos Aires, gnocchi is traditionally eaten on a Thursday (a ritual they share with Rome) and it’s my niece Luli’s favourite dish. Wonder what she will think of this version? The gnocchi is based on a recipe by Jonny Rhodes (Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato

1 cup plain flour

½ cup wholemeal flour

1 tsp. Ground cumin

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp allspice

½ tsp kosher salt

1 egg

50g butter

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

For the pesto:

1 large bunch basil

1 tbsp, pinenuts

2 fat cloves garlic

25g grated parmesan

½ cup - ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

How to make.

Heat the oven to 190C fan and roast the sweet potato for 1-11/4 hours (the potato should be soft inside and give when you insert a knife). Cool, skin and mash.

In a bowl, mix the flours, potato mash, spices, salt and egg. Roll into a ball then cover with cling film and pop into the fridge for an hour to firm up.

After an hour, remove from the fridge and cut into six portions. Dust your work surface with flour then taking each portion in turn, roll into a long sausage and cut 18-20 portions. You can either leave the portions like this or roll each portion over a gnocchi paddle to give it ridges, then place on an floured baking sheet. Repeat with each portion, then cover all the gnocchi and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, working in small batches, add the gnocchi to the pan and continue to boil. As the gnocchi float to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a greased baking sheet.

Make your pesto, put all ingredients except the olive oil into the food processor and pulse until chopped small. Keep the motor running and gradually add the olive oil until the mixture thickens. Turn off the motor and leave to one side while you saute the gnocchi.

Heat a large frying pan and add the butter. when melted and sizzling add the gnocchi in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 2 or 3 minutes, until the bottoms are light brown (you may need to do this in batches). Then add 2 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp water and the apple cider vinegar and swirl around the gnocchi.

Serve immediately in pasta bowls and drizzle the pesto over the top. Grate over some parmesan.

1 note · View note

timehealsfanfictionbka · 5 years

Text

Time Heals.....Chapter Twenty-Six

Robyn stretched with a groan before she opened her eyes to be utterly confused. She sat up as her eyes roamed the room she was in. Gripping the sheets and noticing their silk texture, she frowned, “this isn’t my bed.”

She flipped the cover off her body and swung her feet over the edge of the bed. Settling her feet on the ground, she felt carpet instead of hardwood, “this is definitely not my room.”

She felt for a light and touched an end table. Running her hands up what seemed like a lamp, she felt for a light switch and twisted it on. Illuminating the room, she felt relief flow over her body as she recognized the photo sitting on the end table next to the lamp. She was at Chris’s house. She didn’t mean to fall asleep after the movie but she just felt oddly tired. Why didn’t he just take her home though? Now it’s gonna be late when she drives home.

Chris felt the tingle go up his spine and paused his music to listen for any unfamiliar noise. Hearing footsteps, he figured that Robyn had finally decided to wake up. It had been hours since they left the movie theater. She slept through a stop at the supermarket, him carrying her up the stairs and everything. Her timing was great because he had just finished cooking dinner and set it in the oven. Figuring it was better to meet her at the stairs than have her wandering around looking for him, he left the kitchen and went towards his living room. He had just stopped at the staircase as her foot hit the last step.

“Hey.”

She smiled, “Hey.”

“You sleep ok?”

“Yea. Nice bed.”

“Thanks. I was gonna give you a few more minutes before I woke you up to eat.”

“I appreciate that. Sorry about falling asleep on you.”

“It’s fine. You were tired. We need to talk about that by the way.”

“And why would we need to talk about my tiredness?”

“Because you aren’t sleeping well apparently.”

“Or maybe I just needed a nap. I had been up early this morning, Mr. Brown.”

“Uh huh.”

“Chris, I have no reason to lie to you. My sleep patterns are fine, I promise.”

“Ok. Well, your request awaits you.”

Chris took Robyn’s hand and started walking back to the kitchen.

“I thought you didn’t have any steak to cook.”

“I stopped at the supermarket. You’ve been asleep for a long time.”

“What time is it?”

“After 8.”

“Damn, it’s gonna be super dark when I drive home.”

“You can stay and leave in the morning unless you have something else to do.”

“I don’t know if us staying under the same roof would be a good idea.”

“We did fine at our last sleepover besides you can have the room I’m in and-”

“I do not want to sleep in your marital bed and the last few hours doesn’t count because I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t sleep in my marital bed for the last few hours either. That was a guest room.”

“So why is all your stuff in it?”

“Because I’m sleeping in a guest room. I haven’t cleaned out my bedroom yet.”

“Oh, then where are you gonna sleep?”

“I have another guest room down here. We won’t even be on the same floor, it’ll be fine.”

“I don’t know, Chris.”

“Look, I’ll feel a lot better if you wait until the morning to leave. It’ll keep me from having to worry about you unless I drive you home and send for your car in the morning.”

“That’s too much. I guess I’ll stay the night.”

“Good. What you want to drink?”

“Juice. It’s a little late for a beer.”

“Says who? You work tomorrow?”

“No, no overtime for me.”

“Then have a beer. You can sleep late, the owner of the house won’t care.”

Robyn giggled, “you’re silly. Corona with lemon then”

“You got it. You can have a seat, I’ll bring your plate to you.”

“Chris, you don’t-”

“Let me, ok?”

“Ok.”

Robyn watched as Chris moved around the kitchen and it just reminded her of the first time he ever cooked for her.

“VA, remember the first time you cooked for me?”

“I remember the first time I attempted to cook, that shit was god awful.”

“It was not that bad.”

“You didn’t even eat it as it clearly wasn’t edible. That would mean it was bad.”

“The gesture was sweet though.”

“I guess. Just know this food is edible, my repertoire isn’t very large but I can cook a little.”

“The breakfast you made before was pretty good so you should be alright.”

“Oh, you do have some confidence in me?”

“Depends on the situation.”

Chris scoffed as he sat the cold bottle of Corona with a lemon wedge floating in it on the table in front of her, “what you want for your potato?”

“Cheese, salt and butter.”

“Anything for the steak?”

“I’ll try it plain then make a decision.”

“Ok.”

Chris placed two plates of food on the table then sat a butter dish, a small bowl of shredded cheese and moved the salt and pepper shakers in front of Robyn, “and dinner is served.”

Robyn took a sip of her beer before picking up her knife and fork. Cutting a small piece of steak, she popped it into her mouth and chewed. She dipped in her head in Chris’s direction before cutting another piece. He smiled and started to eat his own food.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Robyn plopped down on the couch and folded her hands over her stomach, “You did an excellent job, Mr. Brown.”

Chris chuckled as he moved her legs to sit beneath them then settled them back in his lap, “Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.”

“I was a little skeptical but it was really good. Thank you.”

“No problem. The least I could do.”

“So what did you and Mama J talk about besides me?”

“Besides you? Nothing. She just wanted to check on me since I hadn’t been to see her in a while.”

“Really? That’s interesting.”

“I think she’s back to subconsciously planning our wedding again.”

“When did she start?”

“9th grade.”

Robyn laughed, “If I didn’t love her so much, I’d strangle her.”

“Tell me about it. I really don’t wanna kill the mood but are we gonna talk or did Mama kind of turn you off from it?”

“I can’t avoid the topic forever I guess. I just haven’t come to terms with your confession, to be honest.”

“I can understand that. Please know I never meant to burden you with anything, that’s kind of why I didn’t want to say anything. That day I just got comfortable and it slipped out.”

“That was one of hell of a slip, Chris.”

“I know.”

“You know when we admitted that we love each other back in high school, a part of me thought the feeling would just pass at some point. Maybe it was just a proximity thing, you know. Then junior year came, senior year, college came and it never lessened. I was glad you had Tiana. I just always known that would never be me.”

“Well, I thought the opposite. My biggest fear was that it would lessen and then I wouldn’t have my best friend anymore. A part of me thought it would be you eventually but then I met Tiana and figured why rock the boat when I have a sure thing next to me.”

“I wasn’t a sure thing to you?”

“You’ve never been a sure thing to me. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I just wasn’t in the place to be the kind of man I always believed you deserved. I definitely didn’t want to be the one to put you through any growing pains. I’m glad you got married and you had someone to love you right, that’s all I ever wanted for you.”

“And you never thought it could’ve been you.”

“I thought it could be but I was afraid I’d screw it up before we ever got to find out.”

“Were you ever in love with Tiana?”

“I was. Not the same way I was in love with you but I was in love with her. She was different, I thought she’d make me a better man and in a way, she did but I can’t say that our relationship was really ever something to write home about.”

“So why stay?”

“I knew her. She was comfortable. And not to be an ass, but better the devil you know than the one you don’t.”

“You make her sound like an old blanket or something.”

Chris laughed, “I’m not trying to really, it’s just she was comfortable for me that way. I didn’t really have to worry about trying as bad as that sounds. I gave her space, money, and jewelry and that’s really all I had to do. She was happy. I was content. Life was great.”

“And what changed?”

“I got tired of comfortable. I felt like I was stuck and it wasn’t an ordinary, you’re getting older stuck. A part of me felt like I was wasting my life. I didn’t have the children I wanted. I wasn’t who I wanted to be and it started to spill over into other parts of my life.”

“Like sex?”

“Like sex.”

“She never noticed the difference?”

“We rarely had sex so there wasn’t much to notice.”

“You rarely had sex? Now that’s shocking.”

“Tell me about it.”

Robyn chuckled, “I remember as teenagers when we found that kama sutra book in that chest we brought from that garage sale.”

“Oh yea. I swore once I got married that I was gonna try everything and be like this sex master.”

“You were one delusional, horny little 13 year old.”

“I mean I did get through a few positions before Tiana though.”

“Ewww...TMI.”

Chris laughed, “Don’t act like you didn’t know.”

“I didn’t. I had no interest in your sex life then and I have no interest in it now. Thank you very much.”

“Whatever, Robyn.”

“What changed though?”

“I got the letter to return back to Texas and I felt like it was my chance. I wasn’t thinking about leaving Tiana at all but I was hoping a change of scenery would change our situation. Maybe we had just been away from reality for too long.”

“Reality?”

“I mean it was just me and Tiana in Paris. No outside family. No one from our past to remind us of anything, it was a clean slate to be who we wanted without any interference of who we were.”

“And once you got to Texas?”

“Seeing you at my coming home party rocked me to my core. I wasn’t expecting you to show up and bumping into you just triggered something. I only had intentions of mending our friendship but as we spent time together even though you tried avoiding me like the damn plague, all those old feelings just came back.”

“Chris, I don’t want you to want me just for nostalgia purposes.”

“I know. I don’t want to want you for those reasons either. I ruined your life eight years ago, I don’t want to do that again.”

“You didn’t ruin my life. My children are absolutely everything to me and maybe things happened the way they did for a reason. What’s to say if you had known and stayed that we’d still be friends? What’s to say that we’d even be together?”

“That’s a logical way to look at it.”

“There was no guarantee that we would’ve bounced back from that night.”

“Maybe if I hadn’t gotten married.”

“You getting married wasn’t the issue. As I said, I never expected you to not get married.”

“Would you have considered us getting together if I hadn’t left that night?”

Robyn sighed and pulled her legs out of Chris’s lap to tuck them underneath her bottom, “I wish I knew the answer to that question. I think that’s what drives me crazy the most, the what ifs.”

“I know what you mean.”

Chris settled his hands behind his head and leaned back against the back of the couch. Robyn rubbed her hands against her thighs as she watched him fidget about, “you ok?”

“I’m good. Glad you’re here.”

“Really?”

“Your presence is solace for me, always has been.”

“That’s sweet.”

Chris looked over to her and reached his hand out to her. Robyn hesitated for a minute before taking his hand and cuddling up next to him. Chris wrapped his arms around her and settled his head against hers, “you need anything?”

“No, this is good.”

Chris kissed her temple then settled his head back against hers.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Robyn had just pulled her nightshirt over her head when she heard a knock on the bedroom door. She glanced up as Chris leaned his head into the doorway and asked, “you going to bed?”

“More like lay down and watch some TV. Not as tired as I thought I would be.”

“You can sit in here with me if you want. I slept too long and can’t sleep.”

Chris shrugged his shoulders and walked in to sit on the bed. Robyn wrapped the cover around her shoulders and tucked her feet underneath her. Chris settled back against the pillows and put his hands behind his head, “what you wanna talk about?”

“Nothing. Everything. I don’t know. Tell me about Paris.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything. Where’d you live? What’d it look like? I’ve never been out of the country before.”

“We’ll have to remedy that one day, you-”

Chris paused as he saw Robyn’s brow go up, “I will be taking you to Paris and wherever else you want to go, even if it’s just as friends. And no, you can’t talk me out of it.”

Robyn chuckled as she brushed her hair over her shoulder, “just because it’s too late to argue, I’ll let you have that.”

Chris laughed, “You know we’re pretty good for each other.”

“Yea until I want to kill you.”

“You’d never kill me. Hurt me. Break a few bones but never kill me.”

“Don’t be too sure, VA.”

“You still my friend?”

“I’m still sitting here, aren’t I?”

Chris smiled and pushed her legs with his hand, “you’re annoying.”

#chrianna #timehealsfanfiction

11 notes · View notes