Wednesday 23 January 2008

Spicy Stuffed Aubergines with Yakitori Pork Chops


Ingredients
2 pork chops
4 tbsp Yakitori sauce (Japanese)
1 aubergine (eggplant) - see Step 2 for preparations
1 courgette (diced)
a handful of (100g) mushrooms (chopped)
1 yellow pepper (diced)
1 green chilli (chopped)
1 clove of garlic (chopped)
Half a tin of chopped tomoatoes (200g)
1 tbsp chilli bean paste (optional)
olive oil
salt & pepper


Step 1
Marinate the pork chops in the Yakitori sauce. If you can't find Yakitori sauce the simply mix some dark soy with brown sugar and use that instead. Leave in the fridge to marinate for a while.


Step 2
Heat the oven to 180°C. Slice the aubergine in half longways. Scoop out the flesh to leave the skin. Set the flesh aside for step 3. Rub olive oil, salt and pepper into the skin of the aubergine. Place them on a baking tray and pop them in the oven for 15-20 minutes until soft.

Step 3
Dice the aubergine, mushrooms, courgette and pepper. In a large frying pan fry the garlic and chilli until the garlic starts to turn brown. Then add the vegetables, chopped tomatoes and chilli bean paste (optional) and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 4
Remove the aubergine skins from the over and spoon the vegetables into the skins. Place the stuffed skins back in the oven.

Step 5
Fry the marinated pork chops for 3-4 minutes each side. When they are done serve with the stuffed aubergines.


In Japan Yakitori sauce is traditionally used with poultry, in particular chicken. We stumbled upon the fact that it tastes great with pork simply because we didn't know that you're supposed to use it with chicken. Try it, you might like it.

Saturday 5 January 2008

How to make a professional latte with instant coffee granules.


Top recipe for a frothy latte coffee that you can make at home without any fancy percolator or whatnot. Unless you count one of those cheapy electric coffee whisks as fancy.

You will need;
A microwave
A Cheapy electric coffee whisk


Ingredients (for one mug);
1 tsp coffee granules (any will do)
1tsp sugar (optional)
1 part water
2 parts milk

Step 1
Boil the kettle

Step 2
Place in the mug which you will be drinking out of the sugar and coffee granules an sugar and a splash of milk. With a teaspoon mix until you have a dark brown paste.

Step 3
In another mug pour in the rest of the milk and microwave on full power for 1 minute 20 seconds (roughly).

Step 4
When the kettle boils fill the mug which you will be drinking out of 1/3 full. Stir.

Step 5
When the microwave got ping take out the milks and whisk using the electric whisk for about a minute or so making sure that you slowly lift the whisk out of the mug, whilst on, to create a foam on top of the milk. Then pour the milk slowly into the other mug. Stir again and serve.