Courgette Bake (Vegetarian esily changed to Vegan too)

I thought the meal before this one had come top shoulder to shoulder with all the meals I ever made, maybe even above...So I thought I will never be able to surpass it..how wrong was I, and is not even a meat meal...I was really surprised, I DECLARE THIS ONE THE BEST MEAL I EVER HAD.

My wife said the same, so did my kid (who normally a very good meal to him he classes it as aright) they classed this meal as EXCELLENT. Not sure if I should divulge it. :) lol
I can tell you is not a lasagna nor it's a gratin.

Receita em Português

Ok...ok.. I will give out the recipe, as it is very special not to share with my loved followers. Is like a lasagna but has no pasta, I used slithers of courgete instead of pasta, and is like a grattin but it is not a bechamel as it has no cheese appart from the lottle bit you can see sprinkled on top, is a white sauce like the one I made for the previous meal with ginger garlic and saffron, I used milk to make it, but for a vegan use soy milk (which I think will even improve further the flavour, and skip the sprinkling of cheese on top.

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 5-6)

• 2 large courgettes (slither them with a potato pealer, very thin slices)
  
• 6 large carrots (cut into half and then quartered leght ways)
  
• 150grs runner beans (destringed and sliced diagonally)
• 1kg baby new potatoes (others will do but these are the most tender)
• 1pkt of asparagus
• 2 chillis (thinly sliced)
  
• 1 large bell pepper (sliced) this has the most nutty taste...one can smell it when cutting it.
• 4 large garlic cloves (minced)
  
• 1 piece of ginger the size of 4 large garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 glasses of milk (soy if you vegan)
• 1 large spoon arrow root (or more cheaply corn starch) diluted in a little water.
• 1 celery heart (sliced)
• some butter
• some olive oil
• a little salt and black pepper
• a pinch of saffron
  

Well, put a large pan with boiling water on the stove and cook the new potatoes and the carrots, you want them fully cooked but still firm around 25-30 minutes, should do it but it is dependent on potato quality, so keep and eye on them, I use a pin to prickle them throught if it goes through effortessly then their're done. Once cooked drain them and half them, set them aside temporarily.

Prepare all the veg. Once is all prepared, you need to make the white sauce and the stirfry to go within the courgette slithers.

For the white sauce in a milk pan put alittle olive oil and seasoning (salt and pepper), once hot add half of the ginger and half of the garlic and the pinch of saffron, once golden pour the milk in stirring briskly. While stirring put in the arrow root powder dissolved in a little water (and optionally a large spoon of butter), continue to stirr until is thikens up, once done set it aside.

Now place a large wok on the stove add a little olive oil, once hot add a little seasoning + the remaining garlic, ginger also the bell pepper, chilli, runner beans and celery. Continuously stir-fry these it will take around 10 minutes, then add the potatoes, stirfry a further 3 minutes. Then is ready remove from the fire.

Set a pirex tray (or any other tray to go in the oven) drizzle olive oil on the bottom, then slither by slither carefully layer to cover the whole botom of the dish, then throw in the potato mixture, followed by the carrots, then the white sauce reserving a little for the top, place another layer of courgette slithers to fully cover the top (no gaps) than smeer the remaining sauce on top nad sprinkle a little cheddar cheese (if vegan i would sprinkle a little oregano and sweet paprika) and it goes in the oven 200c for around 20 minutes.

The asparagus blanch them for around 3 minutes then cook them in a generous amount of butter (if vegan after blanching them cook them in peanut oil "not fry" so low temp and toss them)

So there you are, a beautifull meal for all of you beautifull people ou there!!!

Pork Loin Steaks with Garlic and Ginger Sauce, carrot and Garlic Mash and Enoki with Spring Onion Stir-fry

This so far has topped all of my meals in taste, how healthy it was and easy to prepare, even though looks complicated, was really easy. But I cannot put into words how nice it was. Bellow is a picture of a cooked Enoki mushroom, it has a fleshy texture and is very shroomy taste.

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 2)

• 2 large potatoes (pealed and cubed)
  
• 6 medium carrots (pealed, 3 cut into pieces, 3 into halves)
  
• 4 pork loin steaks
  
• 1 piece of fresh ginger (the size of two garlic cloves, minced)
• 2 large garlic cloves "more if small" (1 roughly minced, 1 cut into 3-4 pieces)
• 1/2 packet of fresh Enoki mushrooms
• 1 soup spoon of sesame seeds (I used a mixture of white and black, just white is fine)
• 3 soup spoons of balsamic vinegar
  
• 1 bunch of spring onions (sliced)
• 1/2 cup of single cream
• 1 soup spoon of butter
• a pinch of nutmeg
• a glug of milk
  
• a little olive oil
• some salt and pepper
• and a pinch of saffron
  

Place a pan with boiling water on the stove, and in there put the potato, 1 chopped garlic and all the carrots, as well as a little salt, it will take around 15-20 minutes to be boiled depending on the quality of the potato.

While that is doing lets do the rest quick so that it all ends at the same time. Before all that I marinated the pork with two spoons of balsamic vinegar poured evenly over them, a little salt, the minced garlic and the minced ginger, just on one side of the pork, I let it marinade for around 30 minutes.

I used two frying pans one for the steak and sauce making the other for roasting the sesame seeds and making the spring onion and Enoki stir-fry. So put both frying pans on the stove, the larger one with olive oil the smaller one just dry. On the dry one place the sesame seeds inside, and as it heats keep shaking it to brown the sesame evenly on both sides, this also releases the most amazing nutty taste and smell of the sesame, once blonde place it in a container, awaiting to be cooked with the stir-fry, while on the larger pan with olive oil, once hot place the pork steaks with the garlic and ginger facing down, as this will make them stick to that side of the steak, let them cook for around 2-3 minutes and then turn them around for another 2-3 minutes which should be sufficiente to be totally cooked through, at this stage remove them from the pan scraping the garlic and ginger so that it stays in the pan, put the steaks on a plate and put them in the oven just to keep warm and to warm the plate at around 30-50c, while you do the rest.

Now both pans are off the fire, put back on the fire the little pan put a little olive oil in it and once hot add the spring onion, and as soon as it darkens (about 1 minute) add the Enoki, and a little seasoning (salt and pepper) + one spoon of balsamic vinegar and sesame seeds, stir fry for around 3 minutes and it's done, put the other frying pan on the fire and pour the fresh cream into it + the pinch of saffron, bring it to gently boil and this will thicken substantially, as soon as is thick remove from fire.

By now the potatoes and carrots should be done, drain and remove the halved carrots, the rest just mash it up, then add a spoon of butter, a glug of milk, a pinch of nutmeg and seasoning (salt and pepper). And that is done too, finally arrange it all on the plate and get ready for an explosion of flavours, like I said is unbelievable, how nice it all was.

The nutty flavours mixing in with the mild onion and the earthy mushrooms and the fabulous textures, then the mash with a hint of sweetness from the carrot and a little garlic and nutmeg coming through, and the "piece de resistance" the moist pork with a saffron ginger and garlic , well make it and you'll see.

"Portuguese-Olhao Style" Folar (Folar = Easter Cake)

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 20 people, or one of me lol)

• 1Kg plain flour
  
• 1 pkt instant east
  
• 2 oranges (juice)
  
• 1.5 decilitres of water
  
• Sal
• 125gr de soft margarine
  
• 125gr soft butter
  
• 125gr soft butter to spread
  
• 1 shot of vodka
• Brown sugar & Cinnamon "to sprinkle filling" (enough)

Put the flour in a large bowl and mix in straight away the east, after that open a little well in the centre and place in there the soft margarine and soft butter and also the orange juice, shot of vodka, water (warm preferred) and a pinch of salt.

With your hands mix all very well, I then covered it with a cloth and let the dough rest around 30 minutes, it will rise a little. Then cut it into 10 fist size balls, and with a rolling pin make one by one discs, but each disc you make spread some butter on one side and put generous amounts of brown sugar and cinnamon, make another disc butter it and again put on it generous amount of sugar and cinnamon over it and place it on top of the other disc, repeat the process for all 10 disc making two piles of five discs, as it makes two cakes.

Place each pile in a container, sprinkle again generously more sugar and cinnamon on top and set in aside in a warm place with a thick cloth over it for about an hour to raise, after that it goes baking in the oven 190-200c for around 35-40 minutes until is done. The idea is the sugar in the layer will melt with the cinnamon making like a gooey honey consistency sugar and cinnamon syrup in between each layer of cake, the cake will be a bit like bread but sweetened by some of the sugar being absorbed in. This is really delicious, but remember be generous with the sugar as if you put little it will all get absorbed into the cake and no nice gooey syrup in between the layers, will still be good though.

Also remember to take it out of the baking container while hot as if you let it cool the caramelized goo will solidify making it hard to remove from these.

Updated photo

Easter Duck & Orange with Carrot Rice

Everyone knows duck and orange really combine well, but add some garlic and some carrot rice, and the plate explodes with colour and taste.

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 2, "x 2 for 4 people")

• 250grs basmati rice
• 2 duck legs (with skin and bones)
• 2 large garlic cloves (1 finely sliced, 1 minced)
  
• 1 large carrot (grated)
  
• 1/2 onion
• 3 oranges (pealed and sliced)
• salt and pepper + some olive oil.

Another way too easy recipe to make, put a frying pan on the stove with a little olive oil, once hot add the sliced garlic and a little salt and pepper, and the duck legs which you previously scored (a few cuts through the skin, which helps release the duck fat), brown the legs on both sides also as soon as the garlic starts to brown remove it to a little dish.

Now use two sliced oranges, and lay on the bottom of a small pyrex with a drizzle of olive oil, season them and place the duck over them and juice one of the slices over the duck also add the browned garlic, cover with a little foil and place in the oven @ 180c for 40 minutes and then remove foil increase heat to 200c for a further 10 minutes, during which you can make the rice.

For the rice put a pan with boiling water on the stove, and season it salt and pepper and it will be done in 10-12 minutes, while that is doing let's make the carrot sauce. on the same frying pan where you browned the duck use this fat still and heat it, once hot add the minced garlic and onion, let these brown and once browned add the carrot grated, stir occasionally and as it get dry add a little water, fry a little more it gets a little dry add a little water, you repeat the process around three times, on the third and last time don't let it dry as it needs to be moist. Drain the rice and while draining it pass also some boiling water through it, and once completely drained add it to the sauce, season it and stir-fry it, once well combined and hot, arrange in on the plate with the duck and add the last sliced orange which serves both as decoration as well as a palate cleanser., also the orange coked in the pyrex mash it with a fork as it will combine with the garlic and some of the duck fat it is delicious when you eat it with the rice. Have fun, this is a delicious dish for Easter.