Asian marinade, protein, broccoli and noodles

I do realize that protein is not actually a food. I've been trying to eat more of it though, in an attempt to broaden my horizons (and have more energy/be healthier etc) so tonight this dish was cooked with pork. However, I normally cook it with tofu or fish fillets. It is equally good with all. Somehow baking the protein in the marinade makes it incredibly juicy and flavorful and provides a lovely, tangy sauce for the noodles. Also, I prefer my broccoli almost raw, so I throw the florets into the pasta water about a minute and half before draining it, but I realize that not everyone likes crunchy broccoli, so feel free to add it earlier.

Marinade
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons grated ginger
Juice and zest of one orange
1 Tablespoon chilli sauce
2 green onions, chopped

Put the marinade ingredients in a glass baking dish and add your protein (for two people with leftovers, I use 1 block of tofu, 3 small pork cutlets, or 3 fish fillets). Marinate for 30 minutes or longer.

Preheat the oven to 190C/350F and bake, covered, turning occasionally, 30-45 minutes, or until done.

Meanwhile, cut up the broccoli and boil a large pot of water.

Add two bundles of udon noodles (or rice noodles) and cook 5 minutes. If you prefer your broccoli very soft, add it with the noodles. Otherwise, add it halfway through.

Drain noodles and broccoli and put them in bowls, topping with your lovely protein and the extra marinade. Do not actually expect there to be leftovers!

Carrot, goat cheese and tapenade sandwiches

Oh my god! I have found my new love and I'm leaving all my other shallower side affairs for this sandwich. It's a slight adaptation I've made on an Epicurious recipe, mainly using sheep instead of goat cheese (in this part of the world, spreadable sheep cheese is widely available while chevre is a huge luxury), replacing the anchovies in the tapenade with capers (why make something unnecessarily un-vegetarian?) and using grain bread instead of the recommended pumpernickel. I'm sure that if you live in another country from me and have widely available chevre, are addicted to the flavor of anchovies and partial to pumpernickel, by all means try it that way, but the way I made was quite satisfying, and I do believe it will make a perfect summer picnic food with the loaf drizzled internally with olive oil and pressed inside foil to make it a vegetarian pan bagnat.

This makes enough for a small loaf of bread (a large meal for two, or a side dish for four people)

The carrots;
4 large carrots, peeled, grated and steamed until the color is brightened but they are still crisp (I left them 5 minutes after turning off the heat)

mix together;
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp (fresh) lemon juice
2 Tsp paprika
2 Tsp cumin
1/2 Tsp cinnamon
1/2 Tsp ginger
1/2 Tsp salt

Marinate the carrots in this mixture several hours or overnight.

Tapenade;
6 oz pitted green olives (from a can/jar is fine), drained
2 Tbsp capers, plus a splash of their brine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced

mix these things in a food processor and pulse until blended but not 100% smooth

To assemble, cut one loaf of bread (I used seed and grain bread) lengthways,
spread the sheep or goat's cheese on the bottom side, the tapenade on the top, and fill the middle with carrots. Cut crossways to make smaller sandwiches and enjoy.

Chile cheese cornbread (with beer)

I'd been wanting to try making beer bread for some time when I stumbled across this recipe for chile cheese beer bread. Last weekend I made that version, and while it was pretty good, I could help thinking that I'd love it with cornmeal in, so I've gone ahead and created a new version, which is made with completely whole grain flour, no eggs or butter and is still somehow the moistest little bread I've had in ages.

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal (fine grind, though you can add a little bit of coarse for texture)
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup frozen corn (still frozen is fine)
2 fresh chillies, chopped
12 ounces beer (I prefer dark, but light is fine)
Seeds (poppy, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, caraway etc) for the top

Preheat the oven to 400 Fahreinheit (200 Celsius).
Mix/Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and mustard
Add the cheese, chillies and corn
Measure the beer (allow foam to settle) and add it, mixing as little as possible

Pour into a greased cake tin or muffin tins, sprinkle seeds over and bake 45minutes for a loaf, about 20 for muffins, or until the middle is just set.

Apple mash, red cabbage casserole, sausage and onion gravy

I bought a 5kg scale yesterday, so that after living in Europe for nearly four years, I can finally begin to use these metric measurements. The cabbage recipe came from a seasonal recipe calender which was a brilliant Christmas present. Cabbage is apparently seasonal, which must be true, and seeing as how there's nothing else in the shops at the moment, there's no excuse not to try it. Well, that, and it's incredibly delicious. Who knew that cabbage could be so sophisticated?

I don't really have my shit together about the photography aspect of this blog yet, so expect photos in the future. 

Apple mash; rinse, chop and boil 1kg potatoes. Chop two apples and saute in as much butter as you can possibly squeeze into a 6-inch pan. When the potatoes are soft, add the apples and butter and mash, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Red cabbage casserole; thinly chop 70grams (about half a medium) red cabbage and two onions. Place half in the bottom of a lidded casserole dish. sprinkle over cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, 2 teaspoons sugar, a good splash of red wine and about 2 knuckles of butter in nubs. Repeat this procedure, topping with 12 or more prunes. Place in a 200-degree centigrade oven for 3 hours.

Sausage and onion gravy; chop 4 kielbasa-style sausages into rounds and brown in a pan. Add a little oil and one onion, chopped. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons flour and add about 1 1/2-2 cups broth slowly, stirring until the gravy has thickened.