Duck Breast with Five Spice Noodles

What do you do with two beautiful looking duck breasts if you have never cooked with them before? You google, obviously... come up with something to inspire you here and hope it turns out. And hey it does and you have a perfectly crispy duck skin on top of beautiful rare meat with noodles and vegetables flavoured with Chinese five spice that you have been meaning to cook with forever but never gotten around too. mmmm... a satisfying dinner.

Duck Breast with Five Spice Noodles
(serves 4)

2 duck breasts
1/2t five spice powder
1T honey
3T tamari or soy sauce
1T balsamic vinegar
2 dried red thai chilies, crushed
2T vegetable oil
1t minced ginger
1 small zucchini in a large dice
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 bag of fresh chow mein noodles
1C chicken stock.

1. Dry the duck breasts with a paper towel. Score the fat in a 1cm diagonal cross hatch pattern, taking care not to cut into the meat.
2. Heat a dry frying pan to medium high heat. Place the duck skin side down and turn the pan down to medium. Cook until the skin is golden brown and crispy, about 3-6 minutes.
3. In a separate skillet add 2T of canola oil and the garlic and ginger. When fragrant add zucchini and pepper and stir fry.
4. By now the duck should be ready so flip it over and cook on the other side about 8 minutes or until cooked to your taste (a point of much contention by the looks of it).
5. Mix together the spices, soy, honey, and balsamic. Remove the duck from the pan and cover to keep warm. Add the mix and let simmer for a minute or two. Add the chicken stock and heat through.
6. Add the noodles and stir to let the noodles absorb some of the sauce. Toss in the vegetables and toss.
7. Slice the duck and serve on top of the noodles.

Tags: Duck, Pasta, Stir Fry

Pork Chops with Apples and Sage

I don't think I had had a pork chop in at least 15 years before making this recipe. The reason I wanted to was I caught Jamie Oliver making a version of this on his Jamie at Home show, and well... he made it looks sexy. I am not ashamed to admit it I was hypnotized by his accent and his love of food. Damn you Jamie. So when I went to the butcher and saw these organic grain-fed pork chops I thought I should give it a go.


I haven't quite got the cooking time down as my pork chop was a little too well done for my liking but the parts near the bone which were closer to medium rare were absolutely excellent and the preparation with the apples and sage was fantastic. J's chop was bigger, and therefore slightly better prepared so he raved about the meal. I was also amazed by how affordable it was - even these really nice high end pork chops were about $2 a piece. I definitely recommend revisiting this cut of meat.

I am not the only blogger to have rediscovered the pork chop. Beyond Salmon, Kalyn's Kitchen and Christine Cooks have made some fabulous looking pork chop recipes.

Pork Chops with Apples and Sage (serves 2)

2 pork chops, bone on.
salt and pepper
2T olive oil
1 apple
2T butter
handful of fresh sage leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Heat a skillet on the stove to medium.
2. Make teeth-like cuts into the fat of the chop about 1cm apart. Sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper.
3. Add olive oil to pan and add the chops. Brown on each side, 2-3 minutes a side.
4. Remove the chops to an oiled baking pan or casserole dish. Quickly slice the apples and add a bit of butter to the pan. Swirl and then add the apples. Saute a minute or two on each side until brown. Layer the apples on the pork chops. Toss the sage leaves in olive oil and add to the stack.
5. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes or until sage leaves crispy and pork cooked.

Tags: Pork, Simple Food, Jamie Oliver

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

This meal is actually from a few weeks ago as I have definitely fallen behind in my blogging. I recently decided to try and stimulate the half of my brain that is slowly decaying and take a medieval Literature course - very misguided. I am really enjoying it but it eats up a lot of my spare time. I have to really make sure I make time next weekend otherwise I am going to miss my Daring Bakers Challenge! In the spirit of stimulation I have been doing a lot of reading in the last few weeks - I re-read Jane Eyre, which I had read as a kid and hated, and just fell in love with it. Does anyone else have any books like that? That you hated as a kid and loved as an Adult?

As for the recipe, when I first got my copy of the Gourmet Slow Cooker one of the most appealing recipes was the recipe for Pulled Pork. I made it several times, each time changing it up a little more until I was at this version which is really quite different. I found the original a little too sweet and missing kick. As easy recipes go this is great, it really only takes 5 minutes the night before to mix the sauce up and 2 minutes the morning of to throw it together. I have left this for 10 hours and I am sure if your slow cooker will let you, the pork can do more.

This isn't the pulled pork of Louisiana BBQ, it's different. But it is a really yummy loose meat sandwich that will definitely please. I served it with sliced apples and green onions but do as you will. Also this is the recipe that took me to the Pulled Pork Quesadillas of a few months ago - cause trust me you will have leftovers. However, even if you don't get through all the leftovers at about $6 per batch it is a very affordable meal and makes for great work sandwiches for the next few days.




Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
(serves 6)

3 lbs pork roast
1 ¾ cups ketchup
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ cup water
1 small onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
3 tablespoons chili paste, (sambal oelek)

Combine everything except the pork. Put pork in the slow cooker and pour sauce over top. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low. Remove and allow to cool enough to tear meat apart, add back to slow cooker and stir into sauce. Serve on warm, soft buns.


For more great slow cooker recipes check out a few of these: Classic Pot Roast, Mexican Chicken, Beef Stew with Olives, Garlic, Capers and Tomatoes, and Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Tags: Pork, Slow Cooker, BBQ, Crockpot

Tortellini with Mushrooms, Ham, Red Peppers and Cream

A comforting dish fit for any quick weeknight supper. Plus, anything with cream is good. J was very impressed by how easy this was to make. This is also my entry to this week's Presto Pasta night.

Now I have to go and go to bed early, I really hate daylight savings. What is with this anyways? Why do we do bother?

Tortellini with Mushrooms, Ham, Red Peppers and Cream
(serves 2)

2 tablespoons butter
4 cups mushrooms, roughly chopped or thickly sliced
1 cup cooked ham, cut into a large dice
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 package tortellini, (about 350g)

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium low heat and add mushrooms with a healthy dose of pepper. Cook turning occasionally for about 10-15 minutes. Add ham and saute then add peppers and cook for 5 minutes. Add pasta to cook and pour cream over mushroom mixture. Bring to a simmer and simmer until the pasta is cook. Taste and correct if necessary.

Tags: Comfort Food, Pasta

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

Brussel Sprouts are always welcome in our house, even outside of Thanksgiving. Not having had them growing up I am likely in the minority but I love them and can't get enough. This recipe is great for someone who is skeptical about Brussel Sprouts, because really adding bacon makes everything good right? This is a Rachel Ray recipe, for all those haters out there she has good qualities too and she produces some fabulous practical recipes so don't disregard just because of that!


Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

3 slices bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 shallot, chopped
1 ½ lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed, small spouts left whole, larger spouts halved
Salt and pepper, to your taste
1 cup chicken broth

Brown bacon in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Remove bacon, drain and set aside. Add shallots to the pan and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add Brussels Sprouts and stir to coat in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook Brussels sprouts 2 to 3 minutes to begin to soften, then add broth. Bring broth to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook 10 minutes, until tender. Transfer sprouts to a serving dish and top with cooked bacon bits.

Tags: Comfort Food, Vegetables, Brussels Sprouts